emulous
1
9.9
Having a strong wish to equal or do better than others to compete
- adjective
- /ˈɛm.jə.ləs/
:
emulativo
- His emulous nature drove him to work harder than anyone else in the company.
Examples
-
I am incredibly emulous of individuals like him.
-
Of bright Oscar, Bosie was emulous.
Fiction book (1994) -
She was emulous of her older brother's achievements, always striving to match his success.
-
The young athlete felt emulous of her rival, pushing herself to train more intensely.
Synonyms
How Ambitious
Surface Forms
emulous positive
Morphology
emulous = emulate (transparent) = emul + ous
The adjective is formed by adding the productive adjective-forming suffix '-ous' to the verb 'emulate', yielding 'inclined to emulate', which is directly inferable from the base.
Etymology
The word emulous comes from the old Latin word aemulus, meaning 'rival' or 'trying to equal', and is like the English verb emulate. So an emulous person wants to match or beat others, usually because they want to compete.