enterprising

adjective

ˈen-tər-ˌprī-ziŋ How to pronounce enterprising (audio)
Definition of enterprisingnext
1
as in aggressive
having or showing a bold forcefulness in the pursuit of a goal the company is claiming that there will be huge financial rewards for enterprising sales representatives

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in adventurous
inclined or willing to take risks enterprising people of vision were responsible for the boom in technological industries

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of enterprising All Stanford students are ambitious, but many of the most enterprising among them drop out. — Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 Our enterprising Gravedigger, a true woman of science, engineers a lizard elixir and regenerates the finger into a long tentacle that eventually demands a body. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026 This was little more than a wooden shack beside a convenience store and a karaoke parlor, all of them run by an enterprising resident who had already buried 200 people in the 12 months since Duterte had taken office, nearly all of them drug suspects. — Sheila Coronel, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026 During the night, an enterprising photographer with a telephoto lens sneaked upstairs in a building opposite Children’s and found a window in line with Patrick’s room. — Steven Levingston, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for enterprising
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enterprising
  1. aggressive
  2. adventurous
  3. ambitious
  4. daring
  5. fierce
Adjective
  • His preference for a 4-2-3-1 has been evident, however, and the German is looking for Newcastle to be aggressive in the press, intensive and also direct, with a plan to get the ball forward as quickly as possible.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Throughout his scuffles, however, Boone felt Grisham had gotten more aggressive inside the strike zone.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • Chris Strouthopoulos is the founder of Ascent Empowerment, which helps adventurous men beat professional burnout.
    — Chris Strouthopoulos, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Lenae welcomes an adventurous curiosity without being too hard on herself when her heart ends up on the chopping block.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of adventurous
Adjective
  • But now, as the sun poured through the third-floor atrium of the Bloom Center, Riley couldn’t help but point out the symbolism of such an ambitious undertaking actually coming to life.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • It was built in the 1920s, when Washington was transformed by ambitious construction projects, even as the nation grappled with political division, racial conflict and clashes between religion and secularism.
    — Jennifer Tucker, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambitious
Adjective
  • Even the films that aren’t explicitly about the next generation often have a stasis-like quality to them, refusing to take risks or stray from the original films in any daring way, that feels apiece with where modern franchise filmmaking is in 2026.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The tactics used are as unconventional and daring as those in spy novels.
    — Donald J. Mihalek, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of daring
Adjective
  • The scores carry over, promising a fierce battle for the national title, with Rivera aiming for multiple championships.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The diggers than turned to keeping themselves and two injured skiers alive amid the fierce blizzard.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of fierce

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enterprises
enterprising
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Cite this Entry

“Enterprising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enterprising. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on enterprising

Nglish: Translation of enterprising for Spanish Speakers

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