Rivals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Entities engaged in ongoing competition to achieve similar objectives or recognition
2. Individuals or groups that consistently challenge one another within the same domain for superiority or success
3. Those who compete against each other striving for the same goals or achievements

Etymology: "Rivals" is the plural of "rival," and the singular has a surprisingly literal origin. In Latin, "rivalis" meant someone who shared a stream with another person, from "rivus," a brook or stream, with the suffix "-alis" attached. Neighbors who drew water from the same creek were, in effect, competitors for the same resource, and that shared-water sense gave the word its later meaning of people contesting the same prize. The word reached English as a learned borrowing from Latin, so it came in through scholarly and literary channels rather than everyday speech. Its earliest English sense stayed close to the Latin idea of a companion or fellow claimant, and the sense of direct opposition developed from there. The stream in the word's origin is the only trace of the image left in modern use.

Synonyms: competitors, adversaries, contenders, opponents, foes

Antonyms: allies, friends, partners, supporters, teammates