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 The rivalry between Coca-Cola and Pepsi has been bubbling for generations, and a person's preference for one soda over the other likely involves a combination of factors. — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026 My novel The Rayburn Affair lays bare notions of friendship, rivalry, envy, authorship, and power. — Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026 Defense protestations aside, the impact of Davis’s own voice on jurors seemed clear, and Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal managed to keep the multiple investigations and hip-hop rivalry testimony from falling down a rabbit hole. — John L. Smith, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026 Now the annual rivalry game is moving to new locations for the 2026 and 2027 seasons because the Jaguars are updating their stadium. — Megan Dubois, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 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
  • The revelation of the changes comes amid intense competition in the AI industry, as companies release updates to their large language models at a frenetic pace, each seeking to pull ahead of the other.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Consumer prices rose anyway, because without competition, Amazon could charge more in the long run.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of competition
Noun
  • Don’t shrink to avoid disagreement, but don’t make everything a battle for control either.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Mustafa, who was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and fled to Norway as a child, said the film was inspired by his encounter with a female Peshmerga sniper during the 2014 frontline battles, as female Kurdish fighters countered Islamic State attacks.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of battle
Noun
  • Two duel threat QBs that both struggled early and then balled out in the second half!
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The potential scenario of a Le Pen-Mélenchon second-round duel that polls suggest could end with a Le Pen victory could ultimately prompt some candidates to drop out, to concentrate votes behind mainstream alternatives.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of duel
Noun
  • Countries with far smaller digital ecosystems, like Cambodia and Laos, have even greater struggles to attract and retain AI talent.
    — Brian Wong, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Underwood wasn’t Michigan’s only problem, but his struggles were impossible to ignore.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • Addressing this prolonged trade conflict, Washington political news outlet POLITICO brought together four veteran journalists specializing in US-Canada relations and trade policy to analyze potential future trajectories.
    — , CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Since then, the conflict has taken on an ethnic as well as an international dimension, embroiling Sudan’s neighbors but also the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Iran.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of conflict
Noun
  • China has invested in cutting-edge intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (collectively known as ISR), as well as electronic warfare systems, drones, and missiles.
    — HOLMES LIAO, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Turkey’s defense industry has demonstrated another step forward in precision air-to-ground warfare with the successful live-fire testing of ASELSAN’s TOLUN deep-strike munition family from a Bayraktar AKINCI unmanned combat aerial vehicle.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of warfare
Noun
  • Footage circulating on social media appears to show a confrontation unfolding on the sidelines in the 73rd minute when Bielik was attempting to retrieve a ball that was thrown back into play by a young Portsmouth supporter.
    — Sam Joseph, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Videos of the confrontations got hundreds of thousands of views on social media, a burst of attention for a conservative youth organization that is charting its next chapter after last year’s fatal shooting of its leader Charlie Kirk.
    — Hannah Fingerhut, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of confrontation
Noun
  • Palal also rejected the defense’s contention that Davis fabricated his accounts to make money.
    — Jonathan Landrum Jr, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The parents, who are Amish, were not aware that their baby’s death was in the national news and a source of contention.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 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 10 Sep. 2026.

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