rival

American  

[rahy-vuhl] / ˈraɪ vəl /

noun

1. a person who is competing for the same object or goal as another, or who tries to equal or outdo another; competitor.

   Synonyms:

   antagonist , adversary , adversary , emulator , opponent

   Antonyms:

   ally

2. a person or thing that is in a position to dispute another's preeminence or superiority.

   a stadium without a rival.

3. Obsolete.  a companion in duty.

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adjective

1. competing or standing in rivalry: rival businesses.

   rival suitors;

   rival businesses.

   Synonyms:

   opposed , competitive

verb (used with object)

rivaled, rivaling rivalled, rivalling

1. to compete with in rivalry; strive to win from, equal, or outdo.

   Synonyms:

   oppose

2. to prove to be a worthy rival of.

   He soon rivaled the others in skill.

3. to equal (something) as if in carrying on a rivalry.

   The Hudson rivals any European river in beauty.

   Synonyms:

   emulate , match

verb (used without object)

rivaled, rivaling rivalled, rivalling

1. to engage in rivalry; compete.

rival British  

/ ˈraɪvəl /

noun

1. 1. a person, organization, team, etc, that competes with another for the same object or in the same field

   2. ( as modifier )

      rival suitors

      a rival company

2. a person or thing that is considered the equal of another or others

   she is without rival in the field of economics

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verb

1. to be the equal or near equal of

   an empire that rivalled Rome

2. to try to equal or surpass; compete with in rivalry

Related Words

See opponent.

Other Word Forms

• nonrival noun
• outrival verb (used with object)
• rivalless adjective
• unrivaling adjective
• unrivalling adjective

Etymology

Origin of rival

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin rīvālis, originally, “one who uses a stream in common with another,” equivalent to rīv(us) “stream” + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

The heyday of Britain’s Victorian empire spawned many larger-than-life personalities, but few of them rivaled Col.

From The Wall Street Journal

But there he was, ready to race in the desert, within striking distance of his two McLaren rivals—and Verstappen wanted to remind them why.

From The Wall Street Journal

Split between its rival language camps, Belgium's complex political patchwork has long been seen as borderline dysfunctional.

From Barron's

Around the same time, British rival GSK revealed it planned to invest $30 billion in the United States over the next five years.

From Barron's

Tesla, their U.S. rival, traded flat on the heels of a strong finish to November.

From Barron's

Related Words

• adversary
• challenger
• competition
• competitor
• contender
• opponent
• peer