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
These are the hard lessons for a 23-year-old pitcher, suffered in a rivalry game on national television.
—
Matt Gelb, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Vitriolic rivalries have blossomed between its astronomers and prominent scientific figures.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 June 2025
June 20, 2025 4:25 AM PT From Jack Harris: Seven times in the last 10 days, the Dodgers and San Diego Padres have renewed their steadily intensifying divisional rivalry.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
In the end, the Dodgers held on for an 8-6 victory in a game filled with drama for the second straight night in a rivalry in which that has become the norm.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Matt Gelb, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Vitriolic rivalries have blossomed between its astronomers and prominent scientific figures.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 June 2025
June 20, 2025 4:25 AM PT From Jack Harris: Seven times in the last 10 days, the Dodgers and San Diego Padres have renewed their steadily intensifying divisional rivalry.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
In the end, the Dodgers held on for an 8-6 victory in a game filled with drama for the second straight night in a rivalry in which that has become the norm.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivalry
Noun
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Gregg Newton | Afp | Getty Images Amazon’s second batch of Kuiper internet satellites reached low Earth orbit on Monday, adding to its plans for a massive constellation and ramping up competition with SpaceX’s Starlink.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
23 June 2025
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Compete for Causes, the local group that pairs fitness and fundraising with its charity fitness competitions, recently made a $32,200 contribution to Father Joe’s Villages.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
Noun
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While the legal battle is ongoing, the judge's ruling is an early win for the states and a setback for the Trump administration.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
25 June 2025
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That same month, Adams withdrew his candidacy for the Democratic primary, saying the legal battle had prevented him from effectively campaigning.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
25 June 2025
Noun
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In 2025, that efficiency narrative hit center stage: the NBA Finals featured a dramatic and entertaining duel between two small market NBA teams.—
Giovanni Malloy,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
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However, the Pirates-Brewers game features one of the best the pitchers duels of the year with Paul Skenes going up against Jacob Misiorowski.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Even the quiet, eyebrow-raising final moments, which suggest that the struggle for economic justice and equality might be utterly pointless, feel less like a philosophy and more like a real-life capitalist desire for more, more, more.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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The struggle was so real that Reynolds unveiled a special musical production for McElhenney's birthday devoted to teaching fans the pronunciation of his costar's last name, enlisting the help of some of his famous friends as well as members of the club's hometown.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
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During the recent conflict, the Israeli Air Force demonstrated an impressive capability to reach targets deep inside Iran while relying on its aged Boeing 707 tankers for refueling its fighter jets.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Despite the flare-up, Wedbush technology analyst Dan Ives expects the conflict between Musk and Mr. Trump to die down moving forward.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
1 July 2025
Noun
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In general, Ukrainian electronic warfare systems are able to jam approximately half of the incoming drones, especially those flying at lower altitudes.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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The United States would be, to put it mildly, naïve to believe that the accumulation of intelligence and modern warfare knowledge by North Korea, China and Iran presents no threat to the United States.—
Laura Thornton,
Twin Cities,
27 June 2025
Noun
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Video of the meeting showed the confrontation began during a confusing moment in the session.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
28 June 2025
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See footage of Trey Songz’s viral confrontation below.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Although few would consider those players franchise-altering names, their developments were promising enough to help the Lakers retool their roster to not only entice James to go West, but build around him for one last window of contention under the Buss family’s watch.—
James Jackson,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
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If either team were to lose this match, they would effectively be eliminated from contention after both failed to gain any points during their Gold Cup openers.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rivalry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivalry. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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