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 Extending the life of the mission for that long could bring Voyager 1 to its 50-year anniversary, a deadline that’s setting the stage for one of the team’s most enterprising steps yet. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 27 Apr. 2026 The second-youngest of eight children, Gordy hailed from an enterprising Detroit family with Georgia plantation roots, including several sisters who had carved successful business paths. — Brian McCollum, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for enterprising
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enterprising
  1. aggressive
  2. adventurous
  3. ambitious
  4. daring
  5. fierce
Adjective
  • While Chelsea tend to retreat after taking the lead, their opponents also become more aggressive in response, committing extra bodies forward and helping to create more open, end-to-end encounters.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The acquisition comes after the distributor’s founder and then-CEO, Andrew Karpen, died from an aggressive form of brain cancer at the age of 59 in May 2025.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of aggressive
Adjective
  • The island’s allure is often centered around exhilaration—surfing on its west coast and exploring its fathomless forests—yet a calmer current of energy runs alongside this adventurous spirit.
    — Adrienne Matei, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • SUVs offered a more adventurous image, available all-wheel drive, greater towing capability in many cases and seemingly endless choices.
    — Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of adventurous
Adjective
  • Eventually, in 1914, Jo succeeded in publishing Vincent’s letters in an ambitious three-volume book, which today is considered one of the most revealing and important works of art history.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
  • One of France’s most eminent men of letters, Jean d’Ormesson is on excellent form in this ambitious historical novel.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of ambitious
Adjective
  • At the center of it all is the daring, epic raid on a bank vault deep beneath the streets of Zurich.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But what begins as a bold and daring attempt to broach progressive issues in a notoriously conservative society ultimately loses its nerve, acquiescing to a number of eyebrow-raising narrative compromises.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of daring
Adjective
  • His successor, Bennett, had been among its fiercest critics, raising the prospect that the arrangement might finally end.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The deadly fire erupted Saturday at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, where fierce winds fueled flames that spread beyond the installation and into surrounding rural areas.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of fierce

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enters
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Cite this Entry

“Enterprising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enterprising. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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