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
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Recent Examples of rivalry
Wall Street and Shanghai markets may have cheered the U.S.-China tariff détente, but beneath the surface optimism lies a profound strategic recalibration of the world’s most consequential technological rivalry.
—
Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
The rivalry between the two players gained widespread attention in 2023, when Reese’s Louisiana State Tigers defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA tournament championship game.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
The Liberty and Aces definitely have a long way to go in terms of the rivalry’s longevity to fully compare to the Subway Series.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
Thanks to a cadre of young stars including rookie Paige Bueckers, along with the budding rivalries around the league — notably Clark and Angel Reese — the spotlight is shining brightly on the WNBA.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
The rivalry between the two players gained widespread attention in 2023, when Reese’s Louisiana State Tigers defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA tournament championship game.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
The Liberty and Aces definitely have a long way to go in terms of the rivalry’s longevity to fully compare to the Subway Series.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
Thanks to a cadre of young stars including rookie Paige Bueckers, along with the budding rivalries around the league — notably Clark and Angel Reese — the spotlight is shining brightly on the WNBA.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivalry
Noun
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The event is the world's biggest music competition, watched by more than 160 million people across the world.—
John Revill,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
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With only five returning players, even Clark said Indiana needed competition to learn more about areas of improvement.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Noun
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As a 60-person battle royale, matches can be extremely long and, in tournament play, repeat over and over for hours until a winning team can be crowned.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2025
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Salter is also in a quarterback battle with true freshman Julian Lewis.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2025
Noun
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In each episode, the first challenger, selected at random, must choose one of his or her neighboring opponents to go head-to-head in an epic quiz duel in the opponent’s category.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
10 May 2025
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The first challenger, selected at random, must choose one of his or her neighboring opponents to go head-to-head in an epic quiz duel in the opponent’s category.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Barry Keoghan is sharing something deeply personal about his struggle with sobriety.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
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But that progress on paper does not mean the struggle is over.—
Danaya Wilson,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
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The White House has said there is no conflict and that the president is acting in the interests of the American public and not his own.—
Susan Heavey,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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Beneath the surface, there are, in fact, some major conflicts brewing in Enzo’s life: He’s been waging a quiet war against his bourgeois parents (Pierfrancesco Favino, Elodie Bouchez), rejecting the typical academic route that his older brother (Nathan Japy) has successfully chosen.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2025
Noun
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The exercises were designed, NATO said, to hone their skills, military capabilities and cooperation for extreme cold weather warfare.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
23 May 2025
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The Department of Defense's bureaucratic inertia is ill-suited to the demands of real-time, adaptive AI warfare.—
Charles Beames,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
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After the tense confrontation, the expecting mom went on to refer to the villain arc fans observed from Engemann during season 2 of the hit show.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
22 May 2025
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Manuel Vega Lopez, 51, died of gunshot wounds following a confrontation outside a Gilbert home shortly before 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 19, police said in a news release.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 May 2025
Noun
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The 34-year-old shot a 7-under 64 to put himself into contention, sitting at 5-under for the tournament and tied for fourth entering Saturday’s moving day.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
16 May 2025
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In order to be in prime contention to win the division this fall, a repeat performance might be necessary.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rivalry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivalry. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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