as in competition
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
a healthy rivalry in sports between the two schools
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rivalry
Tikal’s success spanned several centuries, though the Maya always remembered their rivalry with Teotihuacan.
—
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025
The battle may have ended months ago, but the rivalry continues to play out on the Billboard charts.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Her games became must-see TV, drawing in millions of new fans, and her rivalry with Angel Reese prompted Lakers legend Magic Johnson to compare it to his own with the great Larry Bird.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2025
But she’s largely left out of the romantic and professional rivalries ensnaring the rest of the cast.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025
The battle may have ended months ago, but the rivalry continues to play out on the Billboard charts.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Her games became must-see TV, drawing in millions of new fans, and her rivalry with Angel Reese prompted Lakers legend Magic Johnson to compare it to his own with the great Larry Bird.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2025
But she’s largely left out of the romantic and professional rivalries ensnaring the rest of the cast.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivalry
Noun
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The major driver for the decline in coal use is the economic competition with cheaper and cleaner fuels, such as natural gas and renewables, Ryna Cui, research director for the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland, told ABC News.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2025
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That also plays out of competition in Cannes Premiere.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Rather, Awuah-Darko wants his story to reach people, whether through Instagram or this article, who feel alone in their battles, even if that comes with backlash.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
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But in recent months, the city of 45,000 has become a reluctant microcosm of the larger battle playing out, in which a shortage of 70,000 houses, apartments and condos in metro Denver has kept home prices high.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The show is partially set before the events of Revenge of the Sith, which ends with Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader after being severely injured in a lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
19 Apr. 2025
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The 36-year-old deGrom, who also remains in that conversation even on the backside of his career, was almost as good in Friday’s pitcher’s duel.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Young’s struggles against the Heat continued early in Friday’s contest, scoring 14 points while shooting just 3 of 14 from the field and 1 of 5 on threes through the first three quarters.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
19 Apr. 2025
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Keith and Mark Newhouse of Newhouse Creative Group understand these struggles firsthand.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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There have been no pauses in the conflict since Russia launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion in February 2022.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
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Putin told Gerasimov on Saturday that Russia welcomed efforts from the U.S., China and BRICS countries to find a peaceful settlement to the conflict.—
Reuters,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Russia is very adept at what is known as hybrid warfare, a term that broadly refers to tactics designed to undermine or destabilize opponents, but falling short of open conflict.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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So ingrained is the fixation with speed that generations of U.S. military commanders have learned to shudder at the mention of attritional warfare, embracing decisive maneuver as the route to quick victories.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The confrontation stopped and restarted as the man appeared to try to get the knife away from Perez over the fence.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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During the confrontation, the two men were shot, and both died on scene, officers said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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After a brutal start to the season on the long February and March road trips against top-level competition, and despite a slew of injuries, the Huskies have put their season back together up north and played their way back into Big East and NCAA Tournament contention.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
23 Apr. 2025
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The winless run came to an end against the San Antonio Spurs last week – the Suns’ penultimate game of the season before a defeat to the Sacremento Kings – but at that point, they had already been eliminated from playoff contention.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rivalry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivalry. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
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