as in competing
having or marked by a strong desire to win or be better than others
I am admittedly competitive when it comes to board games.
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Recent Examples of competitive
Her proposal will likely appeal to parents anxious about whether their children can earn a spot in Florida’s increasingly competitive universities.
—
Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Held during the most competitive sports weekend of the year, the Puppy Bowl stands apart for its joyful spirit and adoption‑first mission — with a 100% adoption rate.
—Kelsey Monstrola, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
But spots are competitive and can be tough to snag.
—Mary Beth Skylis, Outside, 7 Feb. 2026
Cornyn is in a heated primary against state Attorney General Ken Paxton; both parties think a Paxton win would make the seat far more competitive, hurting the party nationally.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for competitive
Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Held during the most competitive sports weekend of the year, the Puppy Bowl stands apart for its joyful spirit and adoption‑first mission — with a 100% adoption rate.
—Kelsey Monstrola, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
But spots are competitive and can be tough to snag.
—Mary Beth Skylis, Outside, 7 Feb. 2026
Cornyn is in a heated primary against state Attorney General Ken Paxton; both parties think a Paxton win would make the seat far more competitive, hurting the party nationally.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for competitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competitive
Adjective
-
Rodríguez represents just one of multiple and competing interests within a Venezuela elite composed of a precarious civil-military alliance officially committed to a leftist populist ideology called Chavismo.—
Rebecca Hanson,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Pope Leo’s emphasis on respect and dialogue suggests a desire to move beyond polarization, but competing interpretations of both doctrine and pastoral practice continue to divide American Catholics.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The cases placed a spotlight on homeschooling, but some advocates said that homeschool parents are largely highly diligent about educating their children and should not be penalized for the other cases.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The diligent work of our law enforcement partners time and again uncovers those attempting to hide behind a computer screen.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In the simplest case, an unexpected reward (say, discovering some tasty fruit when hungry, or having someone attractive declare their love for you) causes a burst of dopamine release into a part of the basal ganglia known as the striatum—specifically, the nucleus accumbens.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Because many meals are calorie-controlled, some people may need to add snacks or sides to feel fully satisfied, since meals that are too low in calories or protein may leave you hungry.—
Rita Templeton,
Flow Space,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In the meantime, an unstable government could become more rather than less aggressive, not least to keep younger hard-liners from rebelling.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Wiener helped push two new California laws last year — the No Secret Police Act and the No Vigilantes Act — in the wake of intense and aggressive immigration enforcement by masked ICE and other federal agents in California and around the country.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Both Beijing and Hong Kong’s government have repeatedly rejected international criticism of Lai’s prosecution and dismissed accusations that his jailing was politically motivated or an assault on press freedom.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
-
General amnesty law The government has denied that there are political prisoners in Venezuela, rejecting the accusations of torture and ill treatment and saying reports on human rights abuses behind bars are false and politically motivated.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The team aimed to recreate this kind of dynamic control in a soft, synthetic material using digital design rather than complex biological systems.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The dynamic looks slightly different for photographer Swapnil Junjare.—
Nikita Khanna,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Competitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competitive. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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