Synonyms

enterprising

American

[en-ter-prahy-zing] / ˈɛn tərˌpraɪ zɪŋ /

adjective

ready to undertake projects of importance or difficulty, or untried schemes; energetic in carrying out any undertaking.

Business is in need of enterprising young people.

Synonyms:

adventurous, resourceful, venturesome, venturous

Antonyms:

cautious, timid
characterized by great imagination or initiative.

an enterprising foreign policy.

enterprising British

/ ˈɛntəˌpraɪzɪŋ /

adjective

ready to embark on new ventures; full of boldness and initiative

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See ambitious.

Other Word Forms

enterprisingly adverb
nonenterprising adjective
unenterprising adjective
unenterprisingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of enterprising

First recorded in 1565–75; enterprise + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And then, the sea change around NIL meant that an enterprising coach like Underwood could suddenly bid for Europe’s highly advanced teenagers on the open market.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Lew knew everything about the pieces, but he wasn’t the most enterprising salesman.

From Literature

Not since “Cats” has there been a more misguided yet enterprising work of big-budget, intellectual property cinema.

From Salon

The Northampton back row was included in the starting XV for the first time after seven enterprising cameos as a replacement.

From BBC

Trains pulled in every 15 or 20 minutes, as many as the endlessly enterprising operators of Ukraine's railway network could find in the sidings and marshalling yards.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023