1
as in equivalent
one that is equal to another in status, achievement, or value
a design that is a rival to any produced by a professional graphic artist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in opponent
one that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict
the boxer's toughest rival thus far
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in competitor
one who strives for the same thing as another
the four cities that are the top rivals for the site of the next Olympic Games
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in competitive
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of rival
Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2025
Hipps and Holland were in a similar situation a decade and a half ago when, in his role as top TV executive at MRC, Hipps played a key role in the sale of House Of Cards to Netflix over a rival offer from HBO.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2025
The research, conducted without her knowledge, was commissioned by a potential political rival, according to the person who carried out the opposition research, who asked for anonymity because the poll was a private survey.
—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Kyley Warren, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Throughout the show, the audience rivals their headliner for best vocal delivery of the night.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rival
Noun
Other rival companies, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper, AST SpaceMobile, and Apple partner Globalstar — which have all been working on their own satellite services for home internet or phones —also stand to benefit from Carr’s proposal.
—Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2025
Hipps and Holland were in a similar situation a decade and a half ago when, in his role as top TV executive at MRC, Hipps played a key role in the sale of House Of Cards to Netflix over a rival offer from HBO.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
Discovery against OpenAI rival Midjourney over its IP-infringing outputs may be the next question.
—Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2025
The research, conducted without her knowledge, was commissioned by a potential political rival, according to the person who carried out the opposition research, who asked for anonymity because the poll was a private survey.
—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The only thing that could rival your love for your pets?
—Kyley Warren, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Throughout the show, the audience rivals their headliner for best vocal delivery of the night.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rival
Noun
-
Despite a disparaging 1-3 start to the year for Florida, SEC Network’s College GameDay equivalent, SEC Nation, set up camp in GainesvilleSaturday.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Last month, Evercore analysts joined the overwhelming Street consensus and downgraded Texas Roadhouse from a buy-equivalent to a neutral rating.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
And that opponent — and its fans — always seemingly treat it like a playoff game.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Spanberger, 46, who has consistently held a 10-point lead over Earle-Sears, 61, in recent surveys, is leveraging the government shutdown to intensify criticism against her opponent.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The paper has also decided to chart a very different course on editorials from its closest competitor.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
As mentioned above, the less-expensive Yubico Security Key NFC—and some competitors—only support the tap-to-authenticate form of MFA.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Although there are lots of games to play, Lake Ridge’s victory is a promising sign that the Eagles can compete for a playoff spot, or even a district championship.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Unless Labour, the Greens, and Your Party come to an electoral understanding, their candidates will have to compete with one another, and with other parties, over every seat, dividing the left-leaning vote and potentially allowing Reform or the Conservatives to come out on top.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Some categories are far more competitive than others.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
3 Oct. 2025
-
At the very moment predictable frameworks are becoming a competitive asset, Europe risks signalling drift.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While black women were more likely to die from any kind of breast cancer, for certain types of breast cancer black women had up to a 50% higher risk of dying than their white counterparts.—
Dr. Noor Shaik,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Polis has sought to avoid public fights with the federal government over immigration, unlike his more publicly defiant counterparts in Illinois and California.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
However, with five ranked foes remaining, and only two coming at home (only one of those two an SEC team, for that matter), Florida will need to sustain change, a feat Napier has yet to do.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
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The Little Drummer Girl (2018), played supernatural baddie Randall Flagg in The Stand (2020–2021), and gave the Roy dynasty a worthy foe on Succession (2021–2023).—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Heading into next season, there is no question that the Fever will be among the top-tier championship contenders.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
But there are some strong contenders from superstar artists who haven’t always been Academy pets in recent years.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rival. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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