variants
or rivalling
as in competitive
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
variants
or rivalling
as in competing
to engage in a contest
two longtime friends who have rivaled for the same things at every stage of their lives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rivaling
Alex Sherman,zach Vallese, CNBC, 10 May 2026
Boise could see a high of 92 on Sunday, rivaling a record set in 1940.
—Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 8 May 2026
Mornings were msemen, eggs, and pastries that somehow kept replenishing themselves; evenings were tagine and zaalouk, all of it rivaling the best restaurants in the city.
—Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 May 2026
Sennheiser's headphones are some of the best in the game, rivaling those of Sony and Bose.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026
According to the Philadelphia Visitor Center, about 4 million people visit the steps each year — rivaling the nearby Liberty Bell in annual foot traffic.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
An analysis of fossil jaws belonging to octopuses that lived between 100 million and 72 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period, shows that these creatures may have been the largest animals in the sea and smart to boot, rivaling sharks and marine reptiles in their powers of predation.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies are rivaling the New York Mets in more ways than one.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The neighborhood was considered one of the best music scenes in the South, rivaling Memphis’s Beale Street and New Orleans’s Bourbon Street, with packed nightclubs blaring jazz, soul, R&B, and blues lining the strip.
—Spin Team, SPIN, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
In recent years, videos best watched on TV, rather than on mobile devices, have surged in popularity as YouTube has taken over more and more connected-TV viewing, rivaling subscription streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+.
—Alex Sherman,zach Vallese, CNBC, 10 May 2026
Boise could see a high of 92 on Sunday, rivaling a record set in 1940.
—Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 8 May 2026
Mornings were msemen, eggs, and pastries that somehow kept replenishing themselves; evenings were tagine and zaalouk, all of it rivaling the best restaurants in the city.
—Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 May 2026
Sennheiser's headphones are some of the best in the game, rivaling those of Sony and Bose.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026
According to the Philadelphia Visitor Center, about 4 million people visit the steps each year — rivaling the nearby Liberty Bell in annual foot traffic.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
An analysis of fossil jaws belonging to octopuses that lived between 100 million and 72 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period, shows that these creatures may have been the largest animals in the sea and smart to boot, rivaling sharks and marine reptiles in their powers of predation.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies are rivaling the New York Mets in more ways than one.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
The neighborhood was considered one of the best music scenes in the South, rivaling Memphis’s Beale Street and New Orleans’s Bourbon Street, with packed nightclubs blaring jazz, soul, R&B, and blues lining the strip.
—Spin Team, SPIN, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rivaling
Adjective
-
The Huskies bounced back from a 17-3 loss to Texas A&M on Friday to get a win and earn a rematch, then played a much more competitive game against the Aggies, making a number of stellar defensive plays to stay close for most of the game.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
Building on this experience, IDOM will continue with its technological development, working towards a commercial-sized WEC that will produce electricity at a competitive price.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Teams are at the center of the action when competing against another, complete with the celebrations and disappointments that are the hallmarks of any game show.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
The competing offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo should answer that question.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions, with traders often commanding higher yields on debt investments when confidence in the government issuing the bonds is shaken.—
Chloe Taylor,Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
-
Chicago’s pizza story started decades later and went in the opposite direction.—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
This is where those pieces of history come into play, since jockeys riding notable contending horses are more likely to get TV face time.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, the city of San Diego refused to issue permits, contending the project of 139 hotel rooms and 75 apartments above ground-floor shops is not legal as proposed.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
One of the film’s biggest reflections involves a heady discourse on dialectical materialism, a complicated philosophical principle based on how opposing forces and contradictions fuel change.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
18 May 2026
-
So when Hernández arrived with the Oklahoma City Comets to continue his rehab assignment on Tuesday, the opposing fans greeted him with a thunderous ovation.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rivaling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rivaling. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
