rivalry

noun

ˈrī-vəl-rē How to pronounce rivalry (audio)
Definition of rivalrynext
as in competition
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another a healthy rivalry in sports between the two schools

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rivalry Unitree Robotics pointed to the intensifying rivalry as one reason for slower growth in the first three months of 2026. — Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Down the road, Jones and Bishop Moore could renew a downtown Orlando rivalry. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026 The series ended as an annual event when Missouri joined the SEC for the 2012 season, but the rivalry resumed last year with a Mizzou victory in Columbia. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2026 Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas played Centauri and Narn ambassadors whose rivalry deepened, slowly and movingly, into something like friendship. — Jp Mangalindan, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivalry
  1. competition
  2. battle
  3. duel
  4. struggle
  5. conflict
  6. warfare
  7. confrontation
  8. contention
Noun
  • After two jittery routines to start her competition, Claire triumphed with a stick to rocket ahead of Blakely and Carey.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • No away team had won in the previous 14 meetings between the clubs across all competitions.
    — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of competition
Noun
  • Four months later, my mom began a private battle against death when she was diagnosed with polio.
    — Dr. Marianne Parshley, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Following a slew of casualties (including James Norton’s Ormund Hightower) during a massive battle between the Blacks and the Greens at Tumbleton, Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) jumps to her death off screen in King’s Landing.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • Hugh is murdered in the street by Jon Roxton, one of the conspirators, but the bowl-cut-sporting swordsman already had a big duel with Daemon in the first Battle of Tumbleton, so maybe somebody else will get the honors.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The starters were locked in a scoreless duel through five innings.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of duel
Noun
  • This is a dynastic struggle rooted in antiquated monarchical, patriarchal belief systems.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The shot that exemplified Sabalenka’s struggles occurred in the second set.
    — Lukas Weese, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • The annual Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic will kick off sooner than usual to accommodate booking conflicts with Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The film could use a few more such colorful secondary strands adjoining the main conflict, though one subplot involving a maybe-romance between two jaded journalists assigned to the summit is oddly framed and abruptly dropped.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of conflict
Noun
  • Confronting unpredictable adversaries well-versed in asymmetrical warfare from three directions is a military planner’s nightmare.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Real life is much tougher than fictional TV representations of drone warfare like this exciting but unrealistic sequence in Lioness.
    — David Hambling, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of warfare
Noun
  • Driscoll and others involved in the mission worried that something far less dramatic could derail it, such as an accidental weapon discharge, an isolated confrontation with a protester or a guardsman caught on camera behaving poorly.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • East and West are once again locked in a life-and-death confrontation, even as Putin fires off a fusillade of threats to launch nuclear missiles against any Western power that comes to Ukraine’s aid.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of confrontation
Noun
  • The 24-year-old is quickly moving out of the contender group and into serious contention.
    — Emily Olsen, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer faces pressure to keep the Crimson Tide in national title contention following Ty Simpson’s departure for the NFL.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of contention

Browse Nearby Words

rivalrous
rivalry
rivals
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rivalry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivalry. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of rivalry for Spanish Speakers

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