Rivality

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or condition of competing against another person or group ; a persistent contest or opposition between rivals ; the quality of being a competitor in a struggle for superiority or advantage
2. An ongoing competition or antagonistic relationship between parties ; a continuous effort to outdo another in achievements or status ; a situation marked by contest and mutual opposition
3. The dynamic of rivalry involving contest and competition ; an active engagement in challenges to surpass another ; a condition characterized by mutual striving for dominance or success

Etymology: "Rivality" is "rival" with the suffix "-ity", a pattern English borrowed in bulk from French and Latin to turn adjectives and nouns into names for states or qualities. Here the base is "rival", which itself comes from the Latin "rivalis", meaning someone who shares a stream (from "rivus", a brook) with another. The idea was originally about neighbours competing for the same water, and the sense of opposition came later. The noun "rivality" is formed directly from "rival" with the suffix "-ity", and it takes its shape from the Latin "rivalitas", which French also used as "rivalité". English thus has a word that moves from a concrete picture of rivals at a shared brook to a general state of competition or mutual opposition.

Synonyms: rivalry, competition, contest, opposition, antagonism

Antonyms: cooperation, collaboration, harmony, alliance, friendship