archrival

noun

arch·​ri·​val (ˌ)ärch-ˈrī-vəl How to pronounce archrival (audio)
Synonyms of archrivalnext
: a principal rival

Examples of archrival in a Sentence

In baseball, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees are archrivals.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Opportunity knocks, though, as Virginia Tech hits the road going for a sweep of archrival Virginia on Saturday. Jim Root, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026 Poway, which beat archrival Rancho Bernardo for the school’s first San Diego Section championship since 1992, gets a home game in the Division 3 tournament. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026 Both the men’s and women’s teams won overtime games against archrival Canada to win gold medals, the first time each team had won gold in the same Games. Theodore Tollefson, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026 The strategy makes sense given that Trump has been dispensing pardons to several high-profile figures convicted of financial crimes, including Binance founder and onetime Bankman-Fried archrival, Changpeng Zhao. Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for archrival

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of archrival was in 1750

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Archrival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archrival. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

archrival

noun
arch·​ri·​val (ˌ)ärch-ˈrī-vəl How to pronounce archrival (audio)
: a principal rival

More from Merriam-Webster on archrival

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