Rivalry

noun

noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An ongoing relationship between (usually two) rivals who compete for superiority. countable, uncountable

    "The Boston Bruins have a longstanding rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens."

  2. 2
    the act of competing as for profit or a prize wordnet
  3. 3
    The characteristic of being a rivalrous good, such that it can be consumed or used by only one person at a time. countable, uncountable

    "Common goods are those which are rivalrous in consumption but non-excludable"

  4. 4
    Any competition between two or more things or factors. countable, uncountable

    "Binocular rivalry is a visual phenomenon in which perception alternates between different images presented to each eye."

Synonyms

All synonyms
competitionantagonismantipathybad bloodcampaignclashing

Example

More examples

"The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two countries."

Etymology

From rival + -ry.

Related phrases

non-rivalrysibling rivalry

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.