rival
Americannoun
-
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, emulator, opponent
- Antonyms:
- ally
-
a person or thing that is in a position to dispute another's preeminence or superiority.
a stadium without a rival.
-
Obsolete. a companion in duty.
adjective
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
-
a person, organization, team, etc, that competes with another for the same object or in the same field
-
( as modifier )
rival suitors
a rival company
-
-
a person or thing that is considered the equal of another or others
she is without rival in the field of economics
verb
-
to be the equal or near equal of
an empire that rivalled Rome
-
to try to equal or surpass; compete with in rivalry
Synonym Usage
See opponent.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonrivalnoun
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outrivalverb (used with object)
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rivallessadjective
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unrivalingadjective
-
unrivallingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rivalsimple
-
rivalssimple
-
have rivaledperfect
-
have rivalledperfect
-
has rivaledperfect
-
has rivalledperfect
-
am rivalingprogressive
-
am rivallingprogressive
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are rivalingprogressive
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are rivallingprogressive
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is rivalingprogressive
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is rivallingprogressive
-
have been rivalingperfect progressive
-
have been rivallingperfect progressive
-
has been rivalingperfect progressive
-
has been rivallingperfect progressive
Past
-
rivaledsimple
-
rivalledsimple
-
had rivaledperfect
-
had rivalledperfect
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was rivalingprogressive
-
was rivallingprogressive
-
were rivalingprogressive
-
were rivallingprogressive
-
had been rivalingperfect progressive
-
had been rivallingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
A rival is a competitor or contender that you want to defeat, whether in an actual competition or for another goal. It may be a tennis rival or a rival for your true love’s affections. There are all types of rivals, but they tend to show up a lot in sports. For example, in college football, the Army and Navy have been rivals since their first meeting in 1890. Something that is able to rival something else is seen as comparable to it in quality, and something that is said to be “without rival” is unmatched, or better than everything else.
Vocabulary lists containing rival
Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Sporting Spirit"
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Purple Hibiscus
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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.
But recent polls show that a majority of Israelis want him out of office, with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot emerging as his main rival.
From Barron's • Jul. 12, 2026
Last year, his family became a minority owner in the San Francisco 49ers, a division rival of the Seahawks, and will be required to divest.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 12, 2026
A war of words, with acrimonious rival briefings, had taken place between Prince Harry's team and Buckingham Palace over where he would be staying during his visit.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
Another moment that has featured prominently all week sees Haaland rush in to seemingly protect Bellingham, 23, after a rival player pushed him on the pitch.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
The second step might have been to actively defend the herd against predators, driving away lions, wolves and rival human bands.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
