Enterprising — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Enterprising (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. 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"

   similar: aggressive, ambitious, assertive, fierce, go-getting, high-pressure, in-your-face, militant, pushy, self-asserting, self-assertive
   related: argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, discordant, disputatious, gladiatorial, pugnacious, quarrelsome, trigger-happy, truculent, warlike, hyperaggressive, overambitious, dynamic, energetic, gung ho, hustling, strenuous, vigorous, emphatic, obtrusive, adventuresome, adventurous, daring, dashing, emboldened, gutsy, venturesome, venturous, audacious, bold, brash, brassy, bumptious, cheeky, cocksure, cocky, confident, determined, forward, impudent, insolent, overconfident, presumptuous, unapologetic, unsubdued, unyielding, bare-knuckle, feisty, scrappy, dominating, domineering, imperious, lordly, magisterial, overbearing
   opposite: ambitionless, low-pressure, nonassertive, unaggressive, unambitious, unassertive, unenterprising
   near: easygoing, laid-back, relaxed, acquiescent, amenable, compliant, deferential, docile, resigned, submissive, tractable, yielding, cowering, cringing, groveling, shrinking, bashful, demure, diffident, humble, lowly, meek, mild, modest, mousy, overmodest, passive, quiet, reserved, retiring, shy, subdued, timid, unobtrusive, obsequious, servile, slavish, subservient

2. inclined or willing to take risks

   "enterprising people of vision were responsible for the boom in technological industries"

   similar: adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daring, dashing, emboldened, free-swinging, gutsy, hardy, nerved, nervy, venturesome, venturous
   related: brash, daredevil, foolhardy, heedless, hotheaded, impetuous, imprudent, impulsive, incautious, madcap, overbold, overconfident, rash, reckless, thoughtless, wild, brave, courageous, dauntless, fearless, gallant, greathearted, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, swashbuckling, unafraid, undaunted, valiant, valorous, gritty, plucky, spirited, spunky, gadarene, hasty, headlong, precipitate, absurd, asinine, balmy, brainless, crazy, foolish, half-witted, harebrained, insane, lunatic (informal), mad, nutty, scatterbrained, silly, wacky, witless, unnecessary, dumb, idiotic, moronic, stupid, irrational, unreasonable
   opposite: unadventurous, unenterprising
   near: chickenhearted, coward, cowardly, craven, lily-livered, milk-livered, milky, poltroon, pusillanimous, shy, timid, timorous, careful, cautious, heedful, prudent, wary, overcareful, overcautious, affrighted, afraid, alarmed, fainthearted, fearful, frightened, horrified, scared, shocked, spooked, startled, terrified, terrorized, unnerved, calm, cool, levelheaded, rational, reasonable, sage, sane, sensible, sound, wise, appalled, concerned, dismayed, upset, worried