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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rivalry
Jones said its fair to say Aledo and Denton Ryan have a rivalry.
—
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct. 2025
This sense of competition has caused countless promotions to create timeless matches and rivalries that have stood the test of time, whether your looking at the Territories Era, the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW, or the rivalry between NJPW and AJPW in Japan.
—Jeremy Hanna, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Team Europe retained the Ryder Cup after a weekend at Bethpage Black, but one of the main storylines from this year’s rivalry was how Team USA fans were treating the golfers on Long Island.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
When rivalries intervened In 1908, the Nobel physics committee, then chaired by Knut Ångström, initially favoured Max Planck.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct. 2025
This sense of competition has caused countless promotions to create timeless matches and rivalries that have stood the test of time, whether your looking at the Territories Era, the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW, or the rivalry between NJPW and AJPW in Japan.
—Jeremy Hanna, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Team Europe retained the Ryder Cup after a weekend at Bethpage Black, but one of the main storylines from this year’s rivalry was how Team USA fans were treating the golfers on Long Island.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
When rivalries intervened In 1908, the Nobel physics committee, then chaired by Knut Ångström, initially favoured Max Planck.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivalry
Noun
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Historically, Goldman says bubbles tend to be driven by a specific innovation, investors pile-in, there’s a rush of capital and competition from new companies, which in turn pushes up prices and valuations, increasing systemic risks.—
Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
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With fewer insurers willing to provide insurance in Florida than in New Hampshire, there is less competition, which leads to higher premiums.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The battle of the rotations Pretty much every night, their starting pitcher was better than your starting pitcher.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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That includes research presentations on hip-hop, identity and activism, interactive workshops in education and creative practice, and a freestyle dance battle.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Guardiola was agitated that Van Hecke went to ground inside his own penalty area in a shirt-tugging duel with Erling Haaland.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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One of the weirdest races in their duels was the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which saw them both experience a tough run of luck completely independent from each other.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While the murderous struggle is hard to hear in the video, the barking continued for several minutes and is unmistakable.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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Often taunted by tabloids for her unsmiling demeanor, Victoria shows off her sense of humor and gets real about some of the most difficult parts of her past, including her struggles with an eating disorder and almost losing her fashion business entirely.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If the peace holds, the region could enter a new era defined less by conflict than by the possibility of transformation, including the rebuilding of a post-Hamas Gaza and the normalization of Israeli relations with Saudi Arabia.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
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Both led their people through seemingly impossible conflicts with grace and the ethos of nonviolence.—
Janine Di Giovanni,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The continent is scrambling to build the necessary capacities to defend against drones, highlighting not only its lagging technology but also how rapidly warfare has shifted to the use of unmanned aircraft.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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But does this signal not just tactical innovation, but a shift toward a new era of hybrid naval warfare?—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Call it a conversation, not a confrontation.—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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The uptick in confrontations comes as the administration increases its efforts to deport millions of undocumented migrants, an approach critics say has led to aggressive enforcement tactics, due process violations and the mistreatment of migrants.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If Schaefer can make a strong early impact to get into Calder contention and Pulock can bounce back, however, there’s certainly room for upside here.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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The stark difference proved costly as the club finished 82-80 and outside of playoff contention.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rivalry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivalry. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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