competitive

adjective

com·​pet·​i·​tive kəm-ˈpe-tə-tiv 

1

: relating to, characterized by, or based on competition

competitive sports

a competitive marketplace

2

: inclined, desiring, or suited to compete

a competitive personality

competitive interest rates

3

: depending for effectiveness on the relative concentration of two or more substances

competitive inhibition of an enzyme

competitively adverb

competitiveness noun

Examples of competitive in a Sentence

She is a very competitive player.

You need a degree to be competitive in today's job market.

Recent Examples on the Web

The struggle to maintain audience attention and attract new interest while growing ad revenues in an increasingly competitive marketplace has never been greater. —Sergii Denysenko, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025

Even in his mid-30s, De Bruyne remains a danger to any opponent in the world’s most competitive league. —Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025

Her teammates call her a funny, competitive and sweet-natured wrestler, according to senior Averi Colella. —Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2025

Photo of the day: A little time to play Washingtonians took the snow day assignment seriously, launching a highly competitive but mostly hilarious snowball fight in the capital's Meridian Hill Park. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see competition

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing competitive

• hyper-competitive

Kids Definition

competitive

adjective

com·​pet·​i·​tive kəm-ˈpet-ət-iv 

: relating to, characterized by, or based on competition

competitive sports

competitive bidding

competitively adverb

competitiveness noun

Medical Definition

competitive

adjective

com·​pet·​i·​tive kəm-ˈpet-ət-iv 

: depending for effectiveness on the relative concentration of two or more substances

competitive inhibition of an enzyme

competitive protein binding

competitively adverb