competitive

American  

[kuhm-pet-i-tiv] / kəmˈpɛt ɪ tɪv /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, involving, or decided by competition.

   competitive sports; a competitive examination.

2. well suited for competition; having a feature that makes for successful competition.

   a competitive price.

3. having a strong desire to compete or to succeed.

4. useful to a competitor; giving a competitor an advantage.

   He was careful not to divulge competitive information about his invention.

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competitive British  

/ kəmˈpɛtɪtɪv /

adjective

1. involving or determined by rivalry

   competitive sports

2. sufficiently low in price or high in quality to be successful against commercial rivals

3. relating to or characterized by an urge to compete

   a competitive personality

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Usage

What does competitive mean? Competitive is most commonly used to describe a person who has a strong desire to compete and win. Competitive is commonly associated with sports, but it is used in many different contexts that involve competition. It is commonly used to describe someone or something that is able to succeed against or stay even with others in the same contest or setting, as in Our new product will help us stay competitive in this market. Example: Most pro athletes are competitive by nature and always want to win no matter what they’re playing—even if it’s something as simple as a game of cards.

Other Word Forms

• anticompetitiveness
  noun
• competitiveness
  noun
• noncompetitiveness
  noun
• overcompetitiveness
  noun
• uncompetitiveness
  noun
• anticompetitive
  adjective
• noncompetitive
  adjective
• overcompetitive
  adjective
• pseudocompetitive
  adjective
• quasi-competitive
  adjective
• supercompetitive
  adjective
• uncompetitive
  adjective
• anticompetitively
  adverb
• competitively
  adverb
• noncompetitively
  adverb
• overcompetitively
  adverb
• pseudocompetitively
  adverb
• quasi-competitively
  adverb
• uncompetitively
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of competitive

First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin competīt(us) (past participle of competere “to meet, coincide”; see compete) + -ive

Explanation

If you're competitive, you want to be the best. No one likes to lose, but if you are a competitive person, it will be especially disappointing to see someone else win. People who are competitive like to compete — to find out who knows the most, runs the fastest, can eat the most hot dogs, and so on. Some people are competitive about everything. You'll know them by their constant comparing themselves to others and trying to find out what others have and do — in order to be sure they are still "ahead." Competitive can describe any contest, like a competitive sandcastle-building event.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

competitive

By the age of 22, he'd played for eight different clubs - without making a single competitive first-team appearance for the Blues.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

In India, competitive exams are the path for millions to subsidized college spots or government jobs, amid a shortage of well-paying private jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The British Chambers of Commerce trade expert William Bain points to the competitive advantage for EU exporters into the US in some sectors.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The broadband market has gotten more crowded and more competitive, with the major wireless companies stepping up their investments in home-internet plans through both fiber offerings and fixed-wireless-access offerings that leverage their existing cellular networks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Rufus liked it because Joe was as bright as I had said—bright and competitive.

From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler

Related Words

• aggressive
• ambitious
• competing
• cutthroat
• vying