rival

[ rahy-vuhl ]

/ ˈraɪ vəl /

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See synonyms for: rival / rivaled / rivaling / rivalled on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

competing or standing in rivalry: rival suitors;rival businesses.

verb (used with object), ri·valed, ri·val·ing or (especially British) ri·valled, ri·val·ling.

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

to prove to be a worthy rival of: He soon rivaled the others in skill.

to equal (something) as if in carrying on a rivalry: The Hudson rivals any European river in beauty.

verb (used without object), ri·valed, ri·val·ing or (especially British) ri·valled, ri·val·ling.

to engage in rivalry; compete.

OTHER WORDS FOR rival

1 opponent, emulator, adversary, antagonist.

4 competitive, opposed.

5 oppose.

7 match, emulate.

See synonyms for rival on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR rival

1 ally.

See antonyms for rival on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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 -al¹

synonym study for rival

1. See opponent.

OTHER WORDS FROM rival

ri·val·less, adjectivenon·ri·val, noun, adjectiveoutrival, verb (used with object), out·ri·valed, out·ri·val·ing or (especially British) out·ri·valled, out·ri·val·ling.un·ri·val·ing, adjective

un·ri·val·ling, adjective

How to use rival in a sentence

If you already have the website URL or domain name of one of your major rivals, SE Ranking’s Competitive Research tool will come in handy.
Analyzing competition with SE Ranking tools|Sponsored Content: SE Ranking|November 19, 2020|Search Engine Land
Reels, Instagram’s short-form video product, is aimed at rivaling fast-growing TikTok.
Social Shorts: Instagram pegs Reels and Shop, Pinterest’s engagement metric, TikTok’s size and more|Ginny Marvin|November 16, 2020|Search Engine Land
Twice last year, according to the new indictment, MS-13 members in Prince William shot men thought to be rival gang members.
Three accused of MS-13 gang-related violence in Virginia|Rachel Weiner|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
Analysts, rival fast-food companies and plant-based protein producers have been closely watching McDonald’s, as it is one of the few national chains without a plant-based burger on the menu.
McDonald’s to roll out ‘McPlant,’ a meat alternatives line||November 9, 2020|Washington Post

Pfizer’s and BioNTech’s share prices were up more than 6% and 18% respectively, and rival Moderna—whose own candidate vaccine uses similar technology—also rose more than 5%.
Pfizer’s blockbuster vaccine report flips the markets on their head—pandemic stocks sink, nearly everything else soars|David Meyer|November 9, 2020|Fortune
He was in awe of Tel Aviv, a gay-friendly city with Pride parades rivaling those in Berlin and Amsterdam.
Gay Palestinians In Israel: The 'Invisible Men'|Itay Hod|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
GOP politicians on both the state and federal level attack legal abortion with an obsession rivaling Captain Ahab.
The GOP’s Latest Ploy: Flatter Married Women|Amanda Marcotte|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This track gives us hilarious lines and moments rivaling even the blandness of “Yesterday was Thursday…Today it is Friday.”
The Most Offensive Lyrics and WTF Moments From ‘Chinese Food’|Culture Team|October 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Video games are quickly becoming one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world - rivaling television and movies.
Most Young Gamers Unfit For Call of Duty|Don Gomez|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"Thou shalt not overspend" is rapidly becoming a tenet of the evangelical belief system, rivaling social issues like gay marriage.
Evangelicals Preach the Gospel of Getting Out of Debt|Lisa Miller|February 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The other one saved his skin by setting off across the country at a speed rivaling our hero's charge.
The Story of Don Quixote|Arvid Paulson, Clayton Edwards, and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
They had read or heard of the skill of the adventurers away out on the borders, and they dreamed of rivaling them some day.
Life and adventures of Frank and Jesse James|J. A. Dacus
Paying no taxes, they become independent of the state, an imperium in imperio, a power rivaling that of organized society itself.
Exempting the Churches|James F. Morton. Jr.
Blue gentians (Gentina calycosa, Griseb) abound, their deep blue blossoms rivaling the pure blue of our Sierran skies.
The Lake of the Sky|George Wharton James
A mysterious Sabbath began, rivaling the fantastic scenes witnessed by Faust upon the Brocken.
The Magic Skin|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for rival

rival

/ (ˈraɪvəl) /

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 othersshe is without rival in the field of economics

verb -vals, -valling or -valled or US -vals, -valing or -valed (tr)

to be the equal or near equal ofan empire that rivalled Rome

to try to equal or surpass; compete with in rivalry

Word Origin for rival

C16: from Latin rīvalis, literally: one who shares the same brook, from rīvus a brook

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

rival

OTHER WORDS FOR rival

OPPOSITES FOR rival

Origin of rival

synonym study for rival

OTHER WORDS FROM rival

Words related to rival

How to use rival in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rival

Word Origin for rival