rival

n. a person, group, or business that is competing with you for the same thing.

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

“The two companies have been business rivals for over twenty years.”

“The political rivals agreed to a televised debate to clarify their opposing positions on the proposed economic reforms.”

v. to be as good as, as strong as, or better than someone or something else.

v. to be comparable to another in quality, size, or merit; often used to indicate that something has reached a high standard.

“The beauty of the mountains here rivals anything I have seen in Europe.”

“The speed and efficiency of the new processing chip rival those of much more expensive industrial models.”

Formal

adj. describing people or groups that are competing against each other.

adj. competing for the same objective or superiority; typically used attributively before a noun.

“The project was delayed because of pressure from rival groups in the city.”

“Rival factions within the party struggled to reach a consensus before the national convention began.”