rivalrous

American  

[rahy-vuhl-ruhs] / ˈraɪ vəl rəs /

adjective

1. characterized by rivalry; competitive.

   the rivalrous aspect of their friendship.

---

Other Word Forms

• rivalrousness
  noun
• unrivalrous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of rivalrous

First recorded in 1805–15; rivalr(y) + -ous

Explanation

Someone who's rivalrous is very competitive. It's always exciting for fans when two rivalrous teams meet up for an important match. If you're rivalrous, you're eager to win, whether you're a rivalrous chess player or a rivalrous entrant in a baking competition. A pair of rivalrous siblings is in constant competition with each other, and a rivalrous presidential contest is particularly heated and cutthroat. Rivalrous is from the noun rivalry, from the sixteenth century rival, which has a Latin root: rivalis, "rival or adversary in love."

Example Sentences

He became a life-long friend of the future Carry On star, though Williams's published diaries reveal their relationship constantly veered between the confessional, supportive and rivalrous.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025

Constricted pupils and licking lips also tend to accompany such rivalrous encounters.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 25, 2023

The development has been jarring for a nation whose 1.4 billion people usually manage to get along despite belonging to thousands of sometimes rivalrous ethnic groups.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2023

The most recent episode, “Too Much Birthday” — set on the occasion of Kendall’s obscenely lavish 40th birthday gala — allowed the siblings to tediously run riot with their rivalrous pathologies.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2021

These agencies and half-hidden powers were fiercely rivalrous.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman