rival 1 of 3

noun

ˈrī-vəl How to pronounce rival (audio)
Definition of rivalnext
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

rival

2 of 3

adjective

as in competitive

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

rival

3 of 3

verb

as in to compete
to engage in a contest two longtime friends who have rivaled for the same things at every stage of their lives

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of rival
Noun
Like its larger rival, the company makes computer memory, which is used by phones and PCs to store short-term data. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 10 July 2026 The main rivals in its segment include the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander and 2027 Kia Telluride. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Adjective
After the medical drama ended, Laurie returned to his comedy roots with a recurring role on Veep, developing a fiercely antagonistic chemistry with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Selina Meyer as her running mate/rival/occasional bedfellow. — Danny Horn, Entertainment Weekly, 5 July 2026 Freedom 250, an organization aligned with the White House, has come to rival America250, a bipartisan group founded by Congress a decade ago. — Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Verb
And the wait for the bathroom could rival a theater intermission line. — Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026 The last hardware invention from Google, which also remains my favourite, was its 3D Face Unlock that rivalled Apple's Face ID. — Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rival
  1. equivalent
  2. opponent
  3. competitor
  4. competitive
  5. compete
  6. counterpart
  7. foe
  8. contender
Noun
  • If the filmmakers present Zidane as an Everyman equivalent to James Joyce’s Leopold Bloom or Camus’ protagonist Meursault, their approach is fertile because the same questions that hover around Meursault also surround Zizou.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 11 July 2026
  • That’s the equivalent of about eight coast-to-coast flights per year instead of one.
    — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 10 July 2026
Definition of equivalent
Noun
  • Eustaquio chooses to cross into a central area and Bosnia clear the ball, but the idea — to draw opponents out and create an overload in one area — was sound.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • El Sayed peddled the claim that Stevens was bought by corporate interests and Israeli lobbyists, whereas Stevens insisted her primary opponent was benefiting from advertising money spent by the Republican Party.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 July 2026
Definition of opponent
Noun
  • All while the other competitor in the arena, Matt Kuchar, stood and waited, with the biggest round of his life on the line.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • With ruthless competitors who will stop at nothing to dethrone and destroy them, the Whitlocks are a blue-collar dynasty at the edge of extinction – and the old king is fighting to hold onto the crown.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 July 2026
Definition of competitor
Adjective
  • For sure, the old philosophy that all athletes with heart conditions should not play competitive sports is outdated and not correct.
    — Nicole Williams, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
  • Under owner Arte Moreno, the Angels have resisted rebuilding, preferring to add lower-tier free agents and rush college players to the major leagues in an effort to field a competitive roster.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of competitive
Verb
  • The actor competed in the Penn Relays in 1988 as part of a 4x800 relay team.
    — Eva Andersen, CBS News, 14 July 2026
  • The main studio is Room 1, and all the contestants start there, competing to accurately count the grains in a bag of rice.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026
Definition of compete
Noun
  • While smaller than its counterparts in Orange County or the San Gabriel Valley, the San Fernando Valley has a strong Vietnamese community with churches, temples, civic organizations and even a small magazine, Ma said.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • But that belief doesn’t appear to align with reality, as according to recent studies, women may receive significantly less in Social Security benefits than their male counterparts.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 10 July 2026
Definition of counterpart
Noun
  • The millions of mourners at the funeral of the Iranian leader Ayatollah ‌Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war, may have put pressure on the regime to show resolve against the nation’s long-standing foes.
    — Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • One of the most high-profile and controversial figures in British politics, Farage has had an outsized effect as a champion of leaving the European Union and foe of large-scale immigration.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of foe
Noun
  • Visitors offered name suggestions for Odorysseus on the Huntington’s Instagram page, where contenders included Stinkerbell, Gagatha and Count Flatula, among others.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Her competitive edge sharpened after hearing the news that a nearby state, Nevada, was a top contender for the first slot on the calendar.
    — Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
Definition of contender

Browse Nearby Words

ritzy
rival
rivaled
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Cite this Entry

“Rival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rival. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of rival for Spanish Speakers

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