as in competition
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
a healthy rivalry in sports between the two schools
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 rivalry
Lecornu's resignation, just 14 hours after announcing his Cabinet, underscored the fragility of the president's coalition amid deep political and personal rivalries.
—
NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
Aside from two killed, a dozen others were injured in the crowd just as the Tuskegee University-Morehouse College rivalry football game ended blocks away.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
That number has likely climbed since then, with viral videos on Chinese social media showing how the love for the sport has spread to rural areas, sparking huge rivalries in village tournaments.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2025
The next immediate rivalry goal is to beat Sacramento State in the annual Causeway Classic in the regular-season finale, and the other one is to win the Big Sky Conference before the real fun starts in the playoffs.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
Aside from two killed, a dozen others were injured in the crowd just as the Tuskegee University-Morehouse College rivalry football game ended blocks away.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
That number has likely climbed since then, with viral videos on Chinese social media showing how the love for the sport has spread to rural areas, sparking huge rivalries in village tournaments.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2025
The next immediate rivalry goal is to beat Sacramento State in the annual Causeway Classic in the regular-season finale, and the other one is to win the Big Sky Conference before the real fun starts in the playoffs.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rivalry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivalry
Noun
-
Once on campus, he’s drawn into the intense world of Black Greek life, where rival fraternities battle through stepping competitions that blend rhythm, tradition, and pride.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Of their 16 meetings in all competitions between August 2004 and August 2007, 10 featured one goal or fewer.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Keeping track of what both Pokémon are doing, each of their health bars, the animations for each attack and the battle log (which shows whether or not attacks have landed) takes a long time to get used to.—
Ryan Gaur,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
-
With tensions rising, the film transforms into an unsettling black comedy as the colleagues descend into a battle of wills and wits.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Game 4 was high-intensity from the jump with Cristopher Sanchez and Tyler Glasnow going head-to-head in a pitchers' duel.—
Valentina Martinez,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The hope is more of a fiery attitude could lead to more duels won.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While the murderous struggle is hard to hear in the video, the barking continued for several minutes and is unmistakable.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Often taunted by tabloids for her unsmiling demeanor, Victoria shows off her sense of humor and gets real about some of the most difficult parts of her past, including her struggles with an eating disorder and almost losing her fashion business entirely.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
If the peace holds, the region could enter a new era defined less by conflict than by the possibility of transformation, including the rebuilding of a post-Hamas Gaza and the normalization of Israeli relations with Saudi Arabia.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Both led their people through seemingly impossible conflicts with grace and the ethos of nonviolence.—
Janine Di Giovanni,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As coalition warfare becomes the norm, integrating data across multiple partners—each with distinct platforms and classification levels—can mean the difference between success and failure.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
-
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is moving its ground forces from traditional close-range tank warfare to long-range, beyond-visual-range combat, enabled by its latest generation of main battle tanks, according to a PLA Daily report published Monday.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Call it a conversation, not a confrontation.—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The uptick in confrontations comes as the administration increases its efforts to deport millions of undocumented migrants, an approach critics say has led to aggressive enforcement tactics, due process violations and the mistreatment of migrants.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There is still a lot of football left to be played, but the idea of Cleveland pulling off a shocking comeback to get back into playoff contention should be put to rest.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Some of Penn State’s coaching targets could be in CFP contention.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rivalry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivalry. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share