Word family noun competition competitor competitiveness adjective competitive ≠ uncompetitive competing verb compete adverb competitively
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcompetitivecom‧pet‧i‧tive /kəmˈpetətɪv/ ●●○ S3 W3 adjective 1 COMPETE WITH/TRY TO BEATdetermined or trying very hard to be more successful than other people or businesses → compete, competitor Some US industries are not as competitive as they have been in the past. The team seems to have lost its competitive edge recently (=its ability to compete well).2 COMPETE WITH/TRY TO BEATrelating to competition → compete, competitor Competitive sports encourage children to work together as a team.highly/fiercely/intensely etc competitive Advertising is an intensely competitive business.3 CHEAPproducts or prices that are competitive are cheaper than others but still of good quality The hotel offers a high standard of service at competitive rates.► see thesaurus at cheap —competitively adverbExamples from the Corpus
competitive• Amanda hated working in advertising - it was so competitive.• The atmosphere at our school was highly competitive.• Call this number for our free catalogue of competitively priced software.• I hate playing tennis with Stephen - he's too competitive.• I think you'll find our prices are extremely competitive.• The main competitive advantage of the firm is the relatively low cost of the labor force both for production and design.• Another set of activities, which are physical but not competitive, are also often included in national sports participation surveys.• Some U.S. industries are not as competitive as they have been in the past.• Fiercely competitive at all times, Ravi is a difficult man to work with.• The company offered a competitive bid for the contract.• The company lobbied Congress in the hope of being able to buy it directly from the commission without competitive bidding.• In such a fiercely competitive environment, it's inevitable that some companies will go out of business.• Globalisation has been one factor forcing prices down, but privatisation and increased regulation have led to a tougher competitive environment.• Beth's so competitive, even with her friends.• He is a selfish, competitive fighter who is totally calculating about how he allocates his time and resources.• It is apparently a competitive oligopoly.• Long distance phone companies offer very competitive rates.• The competitive situation keeps the governing party on its toes and sensitive to the public's view of policy.competitive edge• But the 1977 Ferrari was by now outmoded and no longer had the same competitive edge.• Great training for life in the U. S. Gives you that competitive edge.• Mr Coleridge inherits a market that has made some sensible moves to improve its competitive edge.• On the contrary, much of it - the taxation proposals in particular - is calculated to sacrifice our competitive edge.• They would dilute the quality of his product, blunting a competitive edge.• They achieve the competitive edge because everyone is helping to achieve it.• They have a competitive edge in larger buying power, enabling them to acquire stock at prices way below the small independents.• The merger will give the company a competitive edge in the market.• It is also the sort of competitive edge that wins customers - and makes competitors uncomfortable.highly/fiercely/intensely etc competitive• Such companies are highly competitive and welcome the colossal saving of time and money new methods represent.• Rivals also seem to be smarting from a fiercely competitive Christmas.• Competition from the national brewers in the highly competitive free trade.• Before Alan, it was just the two of them sparring over terms, a competition between two fiercely competitive players.• Watch out for a fiercely competitive range of unmetered access plans that include telephone charges.• What about fiercely competitive schools which encourage academic self-assertion?From Longman Business Dictionarycompetitivecom‧pet‧i‧tive /kəmˈpetətɪv/ adjectiveCOMMERCE1used to describe situations and behaviour in which businesses are trying very hard to be more successful than others, for example by selling their goods or services more cheaply than othersThe food retail market in the UK is becoming increasingly competitive.The airline industry remains intensely competitive. Average fares are at all-time lows.2competitive prices are similar to or less than other companies’ prices for the same productJapanese consumers are being denied access to foreign goods at competitive prices.competitive withCutting the cost per unit would make nuclear fuel far more competitive with gas and coal.3if a process is competitive, people have to compete with each other and those who do best will be successfulAdministrative service members are recruited through an annual competitive examination. 