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Rival vs Contest - What's the difference?

rival | contest |

In lang=en terms the difference between rival and contest

is that rival is to oppose or compete with while contest is to strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend.

As nouns the difference between rival and contest

is that rival is a competitor (person, team, company, etc) with the same goal as another, or striving to attain the same thing defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of a competitor while contest is (uncountable) controversy; debate.

As verbs the difference between rival and contest

is that rival is to oppose or compete with while contest is to contend.

As an adjective rival

is having the same pretensions or claims; standing in competition for superiority.

rival

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A competitor (person, team, company, etc.) with the same goal as another, or striving to attain the same thing. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of a competitor.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author=(Oliver Burkeman)
  • , volume=189, issue=2, page=27, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= The tao of tech , passage=The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you
  • Someone or something with similar claims of quality or distinction as another.
  • (obsolete) One having a common right or privilege with another; a partner.
  • * (William Shakespeare)
  • If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus, / The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste.

    Derived terms

    * rivalry * archrival

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Having the same pretensions or claims; standing in competition for superiority.
  • rival lovers; rival claims or pretensions
  • * Macaulay
  • The strenuous conflicts and alternate victories of two rival confederacies of statesmen.

    Verb

  • To oppose or compete with.
  • to rival somebody in love
  • To be equal to or to surpass another.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)
  • , title=(The China Governess) , chapter=1 citation , passage=The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, […].}}
  • To strive to equal or excel; to emulate.
  • * Dryden
  • to rival thunder in its rapid course

    Anagrams

    * ----

    contest

    English

    Noun

  • (uncountable) Controversy; debate.
  • no contest
  • (uncountable) Struggle for superiority; combat.
  • (countable) A competition.
  • The child entered the spelling contest .

    Synonyms

    * (controversy) controversy, debate, discussion * (combat) battle, combat, fight * (competition) competition, pageant

    Derived terms

    (Terms derived from the noun "contest") * contest shape * fashion contest * no contest * pissing contest * popularity contest * wet t-shirt contest * will contest

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To contend.
  • I will contest for the open seat on the board.
  • * Alexander Pope
  • Of man, who dares in pomp with Jove contest ?
  • * Bishop Burnet
  • The difficulty of an argument adds to the pleasure of contesting with it, when there are hopes of victory.
  • To call into question; to oppose.
  • The rival contested the dictator's re-election because of claims of voting irregularities.
  • * J. D. Morell
  • Few philosophical aphorisms have been more frequently repeated, few more contested than this.
  • To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend.
  • The troops contested every inch of ground.
  • (legal) To make a subject of litigation; to defend, as a suit; to dispute or resist, as a claim, by course of law; to controvert.
  • Synonyms

    * (contend) compete, contend, go in for * (oppose) call into question, oppose

    Antonyms

    * (oppose) support