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

Derived Forms

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

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

Sales in China remain under pressure due to the highly competitive industry landscape and challenging macro environment, the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

In the primary Shaw was greatly helped by a candidate field that included seven Democrats — most with a voter and financial base that would make them competitive.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

But organisers said a competitive market combined with low ticket sales meant it was no longer viable to host the festival in Glasgow.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

They are constructed products governed by rules, committees, methodologies, assumptions and increasingly competitive business pressures.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

By the time I turned twelve and reached grade eight, I’d given up on the idea of playing a competitive team sport.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

Related Words

• aggressive
• ambitious
• competing
• cutthroat
• vying