rivalry
Americannoun
-
rivalries
plural
-
the action, position, or relation of a rival or rivals; competition.
rivalry between Yale and Harvard.
- Synonyms:
- jealousy, antagonism, opposition
-
an instance of this.
noun
-
the act of rivalling; competition
-
the state of being a rival or rivals
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of rivalry
Explanation
Rivalry is the act of competing for the same thing against another person. Your rivalry with your older sister is amusing to the family but very annoying to her. Rivalry comes from the noun rival, the person you compete against. Often a rivalry starts when people want the same reward — and their talents are just about equal. Your rivalry for the lead in the play at the local theater isn't between you and George Clooney — it's between you and the other guy who also had a great audition.
Vocabulary lists containing rivalry
The Outsiders
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Olympics Vocabulary for Champions
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Content Summary 5.1: Causes of the Atlantic Revolutions
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The rapper, who was just 25 when he died, was a key figure in a hip-hop rivalry pitting the East Coast against the West Coast.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Gryffindor and Slytherin maintain a traditional rivalry, the Ravenclaw nerds out about magical history and the Hufflepuff attempts to mediate them all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
“It’s unfortunate for our innovation-driven industry that country of origin often overshadows the technological breakthroughs solving real-world problems,” said a DJI spokesperson Friday in response to a query about the U.S.-China rivalry at Everest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
And Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg told BBC Sport the prospect of taking international cricket's most storied - and marketable - Test rivalry to India should be on the table.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
I was watching highlights of the 2017 World Series—when my Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers—and after one video, a video about the Astros–Dodgers rivalry from the1970s to the 1990s started.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
Theirs is among the most storied and heated rivalries in Corporate America, exacerbated by their proximity and sheer longevity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
That transformation has surprised many within academy football, where stories persist of fierce rivalries between the two clubs, heated confrontations behind the scenes and intense celebrations after victories at lower age-group levels.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Hormuz and a handful of maritime straits around the world have served as the linchpin of global trade since the 16th century and have fuelled geopolitical rivalries throughout history.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
He attributed the rift to a number of things, including his parents’ religious beliefs, sibling rivalries and his family’s reaction to his fame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
For the next four years they would continue to defend him from the rivalries and rules of academia.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
