1
as in counterparts
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
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2
as in opponents
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 competitors
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rivals
Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
The North American rivals cannot meet until the gold medal game.
—Stephen Whyno, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
That is a combination very few rivals can match.
—Tony Leopardo, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
China and Russia have a long and complicated relationship, drifting from allies to bitter rivals during the Cold War before Xi came to power in 2012 and struck up a personal relationship with Putin.
—Alex Wickham, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
Key rivals for the NX include the Genesis GV70, Mercedes-Benz GLC and BMW X3.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
Those two years were good times for California’s rivals.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
The athletes playing for Canada and Sweden used to be close off the ice — huge rivals, sure, but admiring of each other’s skills.
—Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Laporta wanted to disassociate himself completely from the project and Barca’s strongest rivals before club members go to the polls.
—Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
The club’s 2026 edition has a wealth of starting pitching — led by Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha — that rivals the very best in the major leagues.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
Newer batteries allow for powerful suction that rivals my big-boy vac.
—Katie Akin, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2026
Longtime rivals Team Ruff and Team Fluff will face off once again, with Team Fluff currently holding a narrow championship lead, six titles to five.
—Itay Hod, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
The amount companies are spending on AI infrastructure now rivals that of some of the largest economies in the world and is comparable to the annual GDP of countries like Sweden and Israel.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
The latter rivals Chichén Itzá in its splendor and size but receives far fewer visitors.
—John Newton, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Feb. 2026
Bad Bunny’s momentum entering the Super Bowl rivals Lamar in terms of hype and commercial success.
—Jason Jones, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Amid that holding pattern, the league remained active amid the 24-hour countdown, including Heat division rivals Washington and Charlotte, with the Wizards acquiring Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks and the Hornets adding Coby White from the Chicago Bulls.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
Noun
India is one of OpenAI’s top markets for ChatGPT and alongside rivals like Perplexity are offering their products for free in a race to gain users and potentially lucrative data for further training.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
The North American rivals cannot meet until the gold medal game.
—Stephen Whyno, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
That is a combination very few rivals can match.
—Tony Leopardo, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
China and Russia have a long and complicated relationship, drifting from allies to bitter rivals during the Cold War before Xi came to power in 2012 and struck up a personal relationship with Putin.
—Alex Wickham, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
Key rivals for the NX include the Genesis GV70, Mercedes-Benz GLC and BMW X3.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
Those two years were good times for California’s rivals.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
The athletes playing for Canada and Sweden used to be close off the ice — huge rivals, sure, but admiring of each other’s skills.
—Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Laporta wanted to disassociate himself completely from the project and Barca’s strongest rivals before club members go to the polls.
—Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
In Southern Section Division 1 girls, Mission League rivals Harvard-Westlake and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame will face off in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at Harvard-Westlake.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
The club’s 2026 edition has a wealth of starting pitching — led by Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha — that rivals the very best in the major leagues.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
Newer batteries allow for powerful suction that rivals my big-boy vac.
—Katie Akin, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2026
Longtime rivals Team Ruff and Team Fluff will face off once again, with Team Fluff currently holding a narrow championship lead, six titles to five.
—Itay Hod, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
The amount companies are spending on AI infrastructure now rivals that of some of the largest economies in the world and is comparable to the annual GDP of countries like Sweden and Israel.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
The latter rivals Chichén Itzá in its splendor and size but receives far fewer visitors.
—John Newton, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Feb. 2026
Bad Bunny’s momentum entering the Super Bowl rivals Lamar in terms of hype and commercial success.
—Jason Jones, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Amid that holding pattern, the league remained active amid the 24-hour countdown, including Heat division rivals Washington and Charlotte, with the Wizards acquiring Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks and the Hornets adding Coby White from the Chicago Bulls.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivals
Noun
-
And though light-wash jeans tend to lean more casual and suitable for daytime than their dark-wash counterparts, there are still endless ways to style the wardrobe staple for a night out.—
Abby Morgan Lebet,
Glamour,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Anode-free lithium-ion batteries promise even higher energy density than their anode-containing counterparts, and at a lower cost.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The core of key contributors across Cherundolo’s tenure plus remaining players from the class who arrived in the same window as Son – center back Ryan Porteous and midfielder Mathieu Choinière – were bolstered by transfers who align with how Dos Santos envisions LAFC challenging opponents.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Some pundits predicted he would be outclassed by his more experienced political opponents during the presidential debates.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Extreme discounts relative to competitors are another warning sign, as no legitimate dealer is consistently selling silver below market price — not without a catch, anyway.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Elsewhere on Monday —As the Alpine skiing reaches its penultimate event, the weather made the men’s slalom course very difficult with only 44 of 96 competitors earning a score.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Pollard heads to the Berlinale as a film he executive produced, The Perfect Neighbor, competes for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Only one person competes, pushing the sled at the start and piloting down the course at speeds of 70 to 80 mph.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And while these drugs are discounted from their list prices, nearly half of the medications on TrumpRx have generic equivalents that can be purchased elsewhere, often at lower prices.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The experience of liking seems to be triggered by different neurotransmitters, most likely endorphins and endocannabinoids (the natural equivalents of heroin and cannabis, respectively).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Beyond the Epstein files, Democrats raised broad concerns about the Justice Department increasingly investigating and prosecuting the president’s political foes.—
Ana Ceballos,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Pine has outscored its playoff foes 24-0.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In an era of annual roster churn, predicting in the offseason which teams will go on to be true contenders is particularly difficult.—
Molly Geary,
Sportico.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
After gold medal favorite Finley Melville Ives crashed out of contention, the top American contenders, rather sensibly, backed off in their second runs in men's freeski halfpipe qualifying.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bowe, who races in the women’s 500 meters on Sunday, has Olympic bronze medals in the team pursuit and the 1,000 meters and holds the world record in her signature distance.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Supported 3 previous Democratic candidates races for HD-64.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rivals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivals. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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