<p>Although the relative deprivation in competitive environments is considered an important factor negatively impacting athletes’ meaningfulness, its underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently clarified. This study aims to explore, through structural equation modeling, the potential mediating role of multidimensional competitive orientation, including hypercompetitive orientation, self-developmental competitive orientation, anxiety-driven competition avoidance, and lack of interest toward competition, as well as the moderating effect of athlete level. The model was tested using moderated mediation analysis and multi-group analysis. total of 1504 athletes from two sports universities and three secondary sports colleges affiliated to universities. This study revealed a negative correlation between relative deprivation and athletes’ meaningfulness (<i>β</i>= -0.242, <i>p</i>&lt; 0.001), with multidimensional competitive orientation also played a mediating role in this association. The athlete level moderated this relationship. This study found that in the negative correlation between relative deprivation and meaningfulness, athletes of different levels exhibit differences in their competitive orientations. Compared with elite athletes, the situation for ordinary athletes is more complex, and they tend to give up and avoid competition. Based on this, coaches and sports organizations not only need to support and maintain a healthy competitive environment, but also need to develop personalized competitive psychological counseling interventions for athletes of different levels.</p>