ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rival

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɹaɪvəɫ// UK //ɹˈaɪvəl// ri·val Archaic General-service

n. a person or group that is competing with you for the same thing. You use this for someone who is trying to win the same prize, job, or goal.

n. a person or entity competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field.


SIMPLE

The two companies are rivals in the smartphone market.

CONTEXTUAL

The local team beat their biggest rival in the final game of the season.

COMPLEX

Despite being fierce rivals for the promotion, the two colleagues maintained a professional relationship and collaborated effectively on the final project.

Synonyms
Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin rīvālis (literally “person using the same stream as another”).

Usage

Often followed by the preposition 'for' (rivals for the title) or 'in' (rivals in business).

Pitfall

They are rivals of each otherThey are rivalsWhile 'rival of' is grammatically possible, 'rivals' is inherently reciprocal; adding 'of each other' is redundant.

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