rivalry
Americannoun
-
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
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.
Ibsen only started playing because his sister was doing a work league and wanted some help, which turned into him picking his own team "for sibling rivalry".
From BBC • May 27, 2026
No one, however, enjoys a rivalry with time.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Sibling rivalry does not always improve when you get older and embark on adult life.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
In a play on the rivalry between the two K-pop groups in the movie, fans “voted” for their favorite by buying one of two meals.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
In America in the closing decades of the century there arose a rivalry even more spectacularly venomous, if not quite as destructive.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
