rivalry

rivalry — noun

1. a continuing competitive relationship between two or more people, groups, or org

1.nounB1
Definition

a continuing competitive relationship between two or more people, groups, or organizations who each want to be better than or do better than the others

Example

The friendly rivalry between Quinn and Camila made both of them better tennis players.

collocation: friendly rivalry + between

A fierce rivalry has grown between the two coffee shops on Main Street.

collocation: fierce rivalry + grown + between

Common collocations
  • sibling rivalry
  • friendly rivalry
  • fierce rivalry
  • bitter rivalry
  • intense rivalry
  • long-standing rivalry
  • heated rivalry
  • economic rivalry
  • political rivalry
Synonyms
  • competition

    broader term; can refer to a single contest or an ongoing situation, while rivalry strongly implies a long-term relationship

  • antagonism

    more negative; focuses on active hostility rather than the goal of outperforming someone

  • contest

    usually refers to a specific event or match, not a lasting relationship

Antonyms
  • cooperation

    people working together instead of against each other

  • partnership

    a relationship built on joint goals rather than competition

Grammar Patterns

rivalry + between + noun phrase

rivalry + for + noun phrase

rivalry + with + noun phrase

Usage Note

Rivalry typically appears with between to introduce the competitors and with for or over to show the goal. Sibling rivalry is a fixed expression for competition between brothers and sisters.

Common Mistakes

There is a competition between the two brothers since childhood.
There has been a rivalry between the two brothers since childhood.
rivalry describes an ongoing relationship, while competition more often refers to a single event.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Rivalry suggests a long-term, often personal relationship in which each side tries to prove itself better than the other — for example, the rivalry between two neighbourhood restaurants that have been competing for customers for years. Competition is the broadest term and can describe anything from a single chess match to market forces; it does not imply a personal relationship. Contest refers to a specific, structured event with a clear winner (a spelling contest, a cooking contest). Antagonism is more hostile and focuses on the emotional state of opposition rather than on outperforming someone: two colleagues may feel antagonism toward each other without actively competing for anything. Use rivalry when the relationship has history, competition for a general situation, contest for a structured event, and antagonism for hostile feelings.

rivalry ↗competition ↗contest ↗antagonism ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • years of rivalry
  • history of rivalry
  • end a rivalry
  • fuel a rivalry

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Rivalry comes from the Latin word rivalis, meaning 'a person who uses the same stream as another.' In ancient Rome, neighbours who shared a river or stream (rivus) would often quarrel over water rights, so rivalis came to mean 'a competitor.' The word passed through French (rivalité) before entering English in the 1500s with the meaning of competition between people or groups.