competitive adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of competitive adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

competitive

adjective
 
/kəmˈpetətɪv/
 
/kəmˈpetətɪv/
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  1. used to describe a situation in which people or organizations compete against each other
    • competitive games/sports
    • Graduates have to fight for jobs in an increasingly competitive market.
    • Those businesses are operating in an extremely competitive environment.
    • The company has succeeded in a highly competitive industry.
    Extra Examples
    • a fiercely competitive sport
    • A competitive approach to learning is discouraged.
    • It's a fiercely competitive market.
    • Japan's banks face daunting competitive pressures.
    Topics Sports: other sportsb1, Businessb1, Working lifeb1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • become
    • remain
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    preposition
    • with
    See full entry
  2. (of a person) trying very hard to be better than others
    • You have to be highly competitive to do well in sport these days.
    opposite uncompetitive
    Extra Examples
    • a very competitive person
    • He had an assertive, competitive manner and asked all the right questions.
    • He has a strong competitive streak.
    • Her competitive nature often overshadows the other qualities in her game.
    • The ‘heart-attack personality’ was described as aggressive, impatient, competitive, and ambitious.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • become
    • remain
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    preposition
    • with
    See full entry
  3. as good as or better than others
    • a shop selling clothes at competitive prices (= as low as any other shop)
    • to gain a competitive advantage over rival companies
    • How do we maintain our competitive edge?
    • What is your strategy for helping the company stay competitive in a global market?
    • competitive with somebody/something We need to work harder to remain competitive with other companies.
    Synonyms cheapcheapcompetitive budget affordable reasonable inexpensiveThese words all describe a product or service that costs little money or less money than you expected.cheap costing little money or less money than you expected; charging low prices. Cheap can also be used in a disapproving way to suggest that something is of poor quality as well as low in price: a bottle of cheap perfume. competitive (of prices, goods or services) as cheap as or cheaper than those offered by other companies; able to offer goods or services at competitive prices.budget [only before noun] (used especially in advertising) cheap because it offers only a basic level of service.affordable cheap enough for most people to afford.reasonable (of prices) not too expensive.inexpensive (rather formal) cheap. Inexpensive is often used to mean that something is good value for its price. It is sometimes used instead of cheap, because cheap can suggest that something is of poor quality.Patterns
    • cheap/​competitive/​budget/​affordable/​reasonable prices/​fares/​rates
    • cheap/​competitive/​budget/​affordable/​inexpensive products/​services
    Extra Examples
    • We offer loans at competitive rates.
    • We aim to provide a first-rate competitive service.
    • They sell quality computers at very competitive prices.
    • They had gained a competitive advantage over rival companies.
    • highly competitive prices
    • skills training to make our industries more competitive in world markets
    • Investment in research is needed to keep Britain competitive with countries like Japan.
    Topics Businessb2
  4. Word Originearly 19th cent.: from Latin competit- ‘striven for’, from the verb competere, from com- ‘together’ + petere ‘aim at, seek’ + -ive.
See competitive in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee competitive in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
aspiration
noun
 
 
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