COMPETITION Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

competition

noun

ˌkäm-pə-ˈti-shən

Definition of competition

as in tournament

a competitive encounter between individuals or groups carried on for amusement, exercise, or in pursuit of a prize a competition between two fierce football rivals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in contestant

one who strives for the same thing as another tried to analyze his major competition in the tennis tournament

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in rivalry

an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another the intense competition for bragging rights to being the city's best French restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of competition So do the three non-golf professional athletes have a side competition? — Ren Clayton, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 This year’s Miss Teen USA competition was hosted by former Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt, who made headlines for her resignation back in May 2024. — Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026 In the Veto competition, La Trice was victorious and took herself off the block. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026 The partnership struggled in later years with intense competition from Sephora’s partnership with Kohl’s and more recently Amazon’s push into prestige beauty. — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for competition

Recent Examples of Synonyms for competition

Noun

Player of the Week Senior outside hitter Quinn Grevengoed tallies 92 kills and 15 aces in seven matches and then is named MVP for host Chicago Christian as Knights take tournament title for first time since 2014.

— Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
On the flipside, three other golfers with ties to Baltimore — Phil Fairbanks of Columbia, Tom Winegardner of Lothian and Richard Sovero of Catonsville — fell outside of the Top 64, ending their stay in the tournament.

— Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of tournament

Noun

Fifty-one contestants — one representative from each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia — vied for the crown.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Brandi is a successful podcaster, co-hosting Your Favorite Things with Wells Adams (former Bachelorette contestant and husband of actress Sarah Hyland).

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of contestant

Noun

Nattie challenged Jaida Parker to a submission match for Heatwave as their rivalry turned up a notch.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The handlers may represent rival schools, but those rivalries tend to stop at the kennel, pasture or habitat gate, especially when another mascot is sick, retiring or in need of support.

— Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of rivalry

Noun

More details on where the event will be held, who will speak and what makes the slate are due out in the coming weeks.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
On its call with investors, management said the conference sold out in early August and is its largest pipeline-generation event of the year.

— Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of event

Noun

But Patel observed that many of the robotic competitors were still being teleoperated by human operators who directly controlled the robots’ actions.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2026
That is 35 films the two studios are already planning as independent competitors before any merger occurs.

— Joseph M. Singer, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of competitor

Noun

The only intrigue at offensive line was the backup center battle between Hudson and Patrick.

— Dan Duggan, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Naturally, with three more Salt Lake City wives at the Alter Ego Party, Gizelle is ready to further investigate why Lisa is in a battle with her whole cast.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of battle

Noun

The company recently detailed plans to move into K-dramas and game publishing through its subsidiary WebsCreative, including agreements around two unannounced, fully cast K-drama projects with major Korean broadcasters.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
And in 2023, Parton, at 77 years old, donned the iconic and revealing Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders outfit to perform the halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day game between the Cowboys and the Washington Commanders.

— Stephen L. Betts, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of game

Noun

Here’s a closer look at the remaining meetings between division contenders.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
The schedule ahead will brings more challenges; the Dragons face championship contenders North Crowley and Allen before District 4-6A play.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of contender

Browse Nearby Words

competing

competition

competitions

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Competition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competition. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of competition

noun

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