French Conversation · Level 39
74 words
French word
rival
Pronunciation
IPA/ʁival/
Meaning
- masculine nouncompetitor
Example
Elle est ma rivale dans l'équipe.
She is my competitor on the team.
More examples
Il a enfin trouvé un rival à sa mesure.
He finally found a rival who was his equal.
Core concept
A person pursuing the same prize, position, or recognition as another.
Common phrases
avoir un rival
have a rival
un rival direct
a direct rival
Similar words
adversaire: A direct opponent in a one-on-one contest or confrontation.
concurrent: A competitor in the same field seeking the same customers or recognition.
compétiteur: A participant or competitor in a sporting event or business competition.
Definition in French
Personne considérée comme concurrente pour une même réussite, un même poste ou une même reconnaissance.
Word origin
French rival comes through Old French from Latin rivalis, originally a person sharing a stream, from rivus, meaning "stream"; its sense later extended to competition.
Usage tips
- The noun has grammatical gender: un rival is masculine, while une rivale is feminine, as in Elle est ma rivale.
Other meanings
- opponentnoun
Opposites
- alliéallynoun
- partenairepartnernoun
Related words
- rivalefemale rivalnoun
- rivalitérivalrynoun
- rivalisercompeteverb