rival definition - Dictionary

Dictionary

ri·val [ rv'l ]

noun (plural ri·vals)

Definition:

1. competing person or group: a person or group that competes with another

2. equal or better competitor: somebody or something that can equal or surpass another in a specific respect

verb (past and past participle ri·valed, present participle ri·val·ing, 3rd person present singular ri·vals)

Definition:

1. transitive verb better somebody or something: to equal or surpass somebody or something

2. transitive and intransitive verb compete with somebody: to engage in competition with somebody

3. transitive verb try to better somebody: to try to equal or surpass somebody or something

adjective

Definition:

competing: in competition with somebody or something

[Late 16th century. < Latin rivalis "using the same stream" < rivus "stream"]

ri·val·rous adjective

Cultural Note


	The Rivals, a play (1775) by Irish dramatist Richard Brinsley Sheridan. This lively comedy of manners portrays the attempts of Captain Jack Absolute to woo Lydia Languish, the idealistic niece and ward of Mrs. Malaprop. The latter's habit of misusing similar-sounding words created one of the most memorable characters in English drama and gave rise to a new term: malapropism.