rivalrous

adjective

ri·​val·​rous ˈrī-vəl-rəs How to pronounce rivalrous (audio)
: given to rivalry : competitive

Examples of rivalrous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The fan-favorite wrestling drama that paired Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig as rivalrous bros went peering off a cliff less than two months ago before its unceremonious cancellation. Starz Turns Heels, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2023 The rivalrous power dynamic between Jones and frontman Jagger is captured in brilliant subtlety in the glances between them during an impromptu interview. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Nov. 2023 A little more than a year ago, Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari and Louisville men’s basketball coach Chris Mack were publicly exchanging rivalrous barbs ahead of the 2020-21 season, a season which saw the Cardinals defeat the Wildcats. Hayes Gardner, The Courier-Journal, 28 Jan. 2022 Every great day is like every other, all the Barbies are sparkling and chipper, and the Kens in this world are their rivalrous, doe-eyed admirers. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2023 But dealing with my rivalrous siblings, the pedantries and the cliques, the teasing and the treacheries, strengthened me and taught me to be an attentive listener, with a kind of watchfulness and negotiating skills that were invaluable to me as a traveller, especially in hostile places. Paul Theroux, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2021 The best known of Ferrante’s narrators, who barely needs introduction, is Elena Greco, pilot of the immense and immensely popular Neapolitan Quartet, a series about her lifelong, intensely rivalrous friendship with another girl from the old neighborhood. Elaine Blair, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 But the broader fact of the matter was that this was a watershed event for women’s basketball, a burgeoning that was far more important than any rivalrous sniping on Twitter. Sally Jenkins, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Apr. 2023 Although the city had had eight years to solve these problems, when the World Trade Center was attacked again the radios still did not function, and the police and fire departments, traditionally rivalrous organizations, still had not coördinated decision-making. Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rivalrous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rivalrous was in 1812

Dictionary Entries Near rivalrous

Cite this Entry

“Rivalrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rivalrous. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

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