Uncompetitive

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Lacking the capability or drive to engage successfully in competition or rivalry
2. Characterized by an absence of effective effort or motivation to contend against others in a given scenario
3. Unable or unsuitable to perform well in competitive environments

Etymology: "Uncompetitive" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-", meaning "not", attached to "competitive". The prefix is an old English element, descending from a Proto-Indo-European root for negation and passing through Proto-Germanic into Old English, so it has been part of the language since its earliest recorded form. Its use with "competitive" is a modern, transparent combination rather than a word inherited from earlier English. The base word "competitive" comes from "compete", which traces back through Late Latin "competere" to the Latin sense of "strive together" or "come together to seek the same thing". That literal picture of several people converging on one prize is still visible in the adjective. "Uncompetitive" therefore describes something that cannot take part in that striving, or that fails to match the others in it.

Synonyms: noncompetitive, uncontested, uncontending, passive, docile

Antonyms: competitive, aggressive, contentious, combative, assertive