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

The House speaker told reporters it was a “really unfair question” to ask whether Kean’s prolonged, uncommunicated absence should impact his bid for re-election in his highly competitive swing district.

From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026

Many businesses in the communist east struggled or simply collapsed as they were thrust into a profit-driven, highly competitive, global economy.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026

“We continue to engage constructively with the commission. The cloud sector in Europe is innovative, highly competitive and an accelerator for growth across the economy,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

Sterling was truly detestable in his time, but at least he fielded a highly competitive and exciting Lob City squad led by legendary coach Doc Rivers.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

All were composed of large, healthy, and highly competitive young men, each of whom was about to face a defining moment in his life.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• aggressive
• ambitious
• competing
• cutthroat
• vying