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

It was Alcaraz's seventh major title and he will head to the other three Grand Slams in 2026 as the man to beat once more, with world number two Jannik Sinner his closest rival.

From Barron's

“If he’s willing to dramatically change course when he’s dealing with a rival and competitor, perhaps he isn’t as committed to a regional coalition of moderates as we thought.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The site and its rival Polymarket have quickly become a part of pop culture, and are especially popular with young men who are drawn by the similarities to sports gambling and day trading.

From The Wall Street Journal

The committee will be an early test of how Hamas will respond to a rival entity seeking to govern the enclave.

From The Wall Street Journal

Polls showed Fernandez, who takes inspiration from the iron-fisted president of nearby El Salvador, could win the 40 percent of votes needed to win outright, avoiding a runoff with any of her 19 rivals.

From Barron's

Related Words

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