as in competition
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
a healthy rivalry in sports between the two schools
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rivalry
Michigan football is trying to get healthy before its rivalry game at Michigan State on Saturday.
—
Christian Romo, Freep.com, 20 Oct. 2025
His 10-year rivalry with another modern managerial great, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, saw the flowering of a new golden age for the English Premier League.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Representatives from at least two bowl games were in attendance for the rivalry game on Saturday night, a reminder that the regular season has passed the halfway point and the postseason stakes are beginning to rise.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Oct. 2025
On top of dealing a serious blow to USC’s CFP aspirations, Notre Dame’s win could potentially be the last one in this rivalry for a while.
—The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Christian Romo, Freep.com, 20 Oct. 2025
His 10-year rivalry with another modern managerial great, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, saw the flowering of a new golden age for the English Premier League.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Representatives from at least two bowl games were in attendance for the rivalry game on Saturday night, a reminder that the regular season has passed the halfway point and the postseason stakes are beginning to rise.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Oct. 2025
On top of dealing a serious blow to USC’s CFP aspirations, Notre Dame’s win could potentially be the last one in this rivalry for a while.
—The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivalry
Noun
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Only a few months ago Salah was deservedly collecting a stack of individual awards after a remarkable campaign which yielded 57 goal involvements (34 goals, 23 assists) in all competitions.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Courier Journal caught up with Zipperle to find out why Cornbread Hemp took home the New Ideas Award in the 2025 Top Workplaces competition.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Lima, Peru Reuters — Peru’s President Jose Jeri declared on Tuesday a 30-day state of emergency in the capital Lima and the neighboring province of Callao, saying the move was to battle rising crime.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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Hubbard has a track record of moving the chains effectively, which was necessary in a game that was going to be mostly a defensive battle.—
Mike Kaye
October 21,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As the display came to a close, many fans expected to head back into the sixth inning of an intense 1-1 pitchers' duel.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
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In the first half, England won just 50 per cent of their duels; Brazil won 80 per cent.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Stephens said there were signs of a struggle, and Thomas' body had been dragged about 180 feet into the woods.—
Bill Bowden,
Arkansas Online,
24 Oct. 2025
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Passmore reflects on Shakur’s life and considers how her story highlights the broader struggles and resilience of Black activists whose work is marginalized in mainstream histories.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Raptors also played the Bucks, a 122-116 loss, with the home team bumping the game’s start time up by an hour to minimize the conflict between the two games.—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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That is, some of the properties suffered damage during the war, but others were destroyed because the owners left the country during the conflict.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As drone warfare evolves, the service aims to field layered defenses capable of protecting maneuver units against everything from quadcopters to cruise missiles.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Oct. 2025
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The same is true of modern warfare.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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However, the saga unearths new layers in the second season as Natalia shares her harrowing experiences with her adoptive parents and has a face-to-face confrontation with Michael.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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No one was injured during the confrontation, police said.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The contention over Bad Bunny's impending performance at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show roils on.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Oct. 2025
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Unlike Major League Baseball, fire sales are highly uncommon in the NFL when teams fall out of playoff contention.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rivalry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivalry. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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