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
At 6 feet 1 3/4 and 210 pounds with 10-inch hands, Sarratt — who followed coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana from James Madison — is a good-sized athlete with competitive ball skills.
—
Dane Brugler, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Ford has promised to maintain competitive lease payments that the automaker has had in the marketplace.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 15 Oct. 2025
For some limited cases, Akamai sees a competitive advantage in building in-house AI tools.
—John Kell, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
With at least 89 wins four of the last five seasons, the Blue Jays are perennially competitive.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for competitive
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Dane Brugler, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Ford has promised to maintain competitive lease payments that the automaker has had in the marketplace.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 15 Oct. 2025
For some limited cases, Akamai sees a competitive advantage in building in-house AI tools.
—John Kell, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
With at least 89 wins four of the last five seasons, the Blue Jays are perennially competitive.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for competitive
Cite this Entry
“Competitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/competitive. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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