Synonyms for competitor
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Rival
2. Opponent — A person or organization against whom one is competing
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
A person or organization against whom one is competing.
- n. 2
A participant in a competition, especially in athletics.
Related words
- Word family
- competitress compete competition competitive
Forms
- Plural
- competitors → rivals, competitions, contenders, challengers…
Example sentences
- competition I like to play sport for fun, not for competition.
- rival Algeria needs to beat its regional rival, Morocco.
- challenger In two moves, Kasparov will check the challenger.
- contender I could have been a contender.
- opponent I have underestimated the strength of my opponent.
- adversary Fear is an adversary that one must face to move forward.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| competitor | steady | |
| competition | steady | |
| rival | rising | |
| challenger | rising | |
| contender | rising | |
| opponent | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- enemy3, rival2
- 7 letters
- athlete2, agonist3
- 8 letters
- opponent3, emulator4, aspirant3
- 9 letters
- contender3, adversary4, disputant
- 10 letters
- challenger3, contestant3, antagonist4
- 11 letters
- competition4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (enemy3 = 3 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- compétiteur
- Italiano
- competitore