Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

Medical

Scrabble^®

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Dictionary

¹rival

noun ri·val \ˈrī-vəl\

: a person or thing that tries to defeat or be more successful than another

: something or someone that is as good or almost as good as another person or thing

Full Definition of RIVAL

a : one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess

b : one striving for competitive advantage

obsolete : companion, associate

: equal, peer

See rival defined for English-language learners

See rival defined for kids

Origin of RIVAL

Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin rivalis one using the same stream as another, rival in love, from rivalis of a stream, from rivus stream — more at run

First Known Use: 1577

Related to RIVAL

Synonyms: coequal, compeer, coordinate, counterpart, equivalent, fellow, like, match, parallel, peer, equal

Antonyms: noncompetitor

²rival

adjective

Definition of RIVAL

: having the same pretensions or claims : competing

First Known Use of RIVAL

1590

³rival

verb

: to be as good or almost as good as (someone or something)

ri·valed or ri·valledri·val·ing or ri·val·ling \ˈrīv-(ə-)liŋ\

Full Definition of RIVAL

intransitive verb

: to act as a rival : compete

transitive verb

: to be in competition with

: to strive to equal or excel : emulate

: to possess qualities or aptitudes that approach or equal (those of another)

See rival defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of RIVAL

1605

Related to RIVAL

Synonyms: battle, contend, face off, fight, race, compete, vie

RIVAL Defined for Kids

¹rival

noun ri·val \ˈrī-vəl\

Definition of RIVAL for Kids

: someone or something that tries to defeat or be more successful than another

Word History of RIVAL

Rival is borrowed from Latin rivalis. As an adjective made from the noun rivus, “stream,” rivalis meant “of a brook or stream.” As a noun, rivalis was used to refer to those who use the same stream for water. Just as neighbors might dispute each other's rights to a common source of water, disagreement often arises when two people want something that only one can possess. Thus Latin rivalis also developed a sense relating to competition in other areas, and this sense came into English.