- 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 a highly competitive market. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, become, remain, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … prepositionwith See full entry See related entries: Describing work
- 2 competitive (with somebody/something) as good as or better than others a shop selling clothes at competitive prices (= as low as any other shop) We need to work harder to remain competitive with other companies. to gain a competitive advantage over rival companies Synonymscheapcompetitive 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 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 poor quality.Patterns cheap/competitive/budget/affordable/reasonable prices/fares/rates cheap/competitive/budget/affordable/inexpensive products/services
- 3 (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 Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, become, remain, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … prepositionwith See full entry Word Originearly 19th cent.: from Latin competit- ‘striven for’, from the verb competere, from com- ‘together’ + petere ‘aim at, seek’ + -ive.Extra examples Investment in research is needed to keep Britain competitive with countries like Japan. a fiercely competitive sport a very competitive person highly competitive prices skills training to make our industries more competitive in world markets A competitive approach to learning is discouraged. 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. It’s a fiercely competitive market. The ‘heart-attack personality’ was described as aggressive, impatient, competitive and ambitious. They had gained a competitive advantage over rival companies. They sell quality computers at very competitive prices. We aim to provide a first-rate competitive service. We offer loans at competitive rates.
Check pronunciation: competitive
