as in battles
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
a healthy rivalry in sports between the two schools
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Recent Examples of rivalries
As a 10-time world champion who’s entering her fifth, and final, Winter Olympics, American hockey star Hilary Knight, 35, has played a key role in energizing one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.
—
Sean Gregory, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
The sport was built on rivalries.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Internal rivalries, theoretical disputes, and public ridicule repeatedly tested the group.
—Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
One of the biggest rivalries in collegiate women’s hockey was played without top players from each squad who’ll be participating in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
—Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2026
So brace yourselves for the regional rivalries.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 28 Jan. 2026
The San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets will meet again tonight in a matchup that remains one of the NBA's most heated rivalries, even as both franchises enter a rebuilding phase.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 20 Jan. 2026
The show, which only has one season, focuses on building an oil empire, family conflicts and heated rivalries.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
The barbs thrown back and forth, creating headlines and fueling rivalries.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Sean Gregory, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
The sport was built on rivalries.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Internal rivalries, theoretical disputes, and public ridicule repeatedly tested the group.
—Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
One of the biggest rivalries in collegiate women’s hockey was played without top players from each squad who’ll be participating in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
—Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2026
So brace yourselves for the regional rivalries.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 28 Jan. 2026
The San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets will meet again tonight in a matchup that remains one of the NBA's most heated rivalries, even as both franchises enter a rebuilding phase.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 20 Jan. 2026
The show, which only has one season, focuses on building an oil empire, family conflicts and heated rivalries.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
The barbs thrown back and forth, creating headlines and fueling rivalries.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivalries
Noun
-
Submerged by a deluge of battles lost, assignments missed and a pair of deflections off Vancouver defenders into their own net.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Boats, motorcycles and chickens Neighbors’ recollections differ regarding the countless battles, what happened and when.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Journal editors and professional societies can take early steps by adding a few positionality items to existing disclosure forms for psychedelic work and by asking authors to state briefly how experiential conflicts and role separation were handled in their trials.—
Ian Reardon,
STAT,
2 Feb. 2026
-
California’s Department of Housing and Community Development has said previously that the height limit is a development standard that conflicts with density bonus law and has no authority over projects that meet the law’s affordability thresholds.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Starmer faces mounting pressure from Labor MPs over his judgment, with his premiership now in jeopardy amid broader government struggles and poor polling.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The 2025 August slide from the Padre with the biggest contract was especially unfortunate as the Padres (16-12 in August) were unable to fully capitalize on the Dodgers’ struggles (15-13 in August) to overtake them in the NL West.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Carrick rates Maguire as a player and a person, just as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did, praising his ability to win duels.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Demon Slayer, the first of a series-ending film trilogy, is a master class in hyper-kinetic, violent battles and high-stakes melodrama, in which a sequence of epic duels is intercut with emotional character backstories.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Our reporting reveals that members and related officials have encouraged protesters to impede law enforcement; pushed civilians toward legally and physically risky confrontations; and helped mobilize a counterprotest that turned violent.—
Christina Buttons,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Their detention came as the nation has watched confrontations between Minnesota protesters and ICE agents and the subsequent deaths of two American citizen protesters in Minneapolis who came into contact with federal officers during demonstrations in the state.—
Elizabeth Zavala,
San Antonio Express-News,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Hiwa is preparing an official letter demanding that the International Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling suspend and ban Iran from all international competitions.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Its content features topics on skiing, snowboarding, mountains, ski resorts, travel guides, gear reviews, outdoor events, competitions or festivals and more.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
An administration official would make a claim about what happened, and later evidence would find these contentions to be misleading.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
-
However, the reality is that peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US and Europe are clearly stalled, if at worse dead with many contentions from both sides surrounding security concerns and, importantly, trade sanctions.—
Earl Carr,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Alongside the bodies of martyrs from Iran’s past wars, the dusty earth of Behesht-e Zahra cemetery now cradles the remains of protesters killed in January’s protests, the latest conflict to rake Iran’s streets.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Following pandemic-era school closures and culture wars, choice proponents have made unprecedented gains at the state and federal levels.—
Jonah Davids,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rivalries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivalries. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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