Competition
Competition noun - One who strives for the same thing as another.
Usage example: tried to analyze his major competition in the tennis tournament
Opponent is a synonym for competition in competitor topic. In some cases you can use "Opponent" instead a noun "Competition", when it comes to topics like person, conflict, rival, enemy.
Opponent
Opponent noun - One that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict.
Competition is a synonym for opponent in conflict topic. You can use "Competition" instead a noun "Opponent", if it concerns topics such as competitor, person, rival, enemy.
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- match and competition
- match and opponent
- rival and competition
- rival and opponent
- opposition and competition
- opposition and opponent
- competitor and competition
- competitor and opponent
- contestant and competition
- contestant and opponent
- antagonist and competition
- antagonist and opponent
- adversary and competition
- adversary and opponent
How words are described
Both words in one sentence
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Rival Turned Evil A once-respectable, if persistent, opponent gradually becomes more evil, turning their existing antagonism/competition into something more serious.
Source: Heel/Face Index - Sometimes, the opponent to the crippled competition isn't actually the one who did the deed, and said opponent may not even have desired it.
Source: Crippling the Competition -
Apparently, a good chef must be able to look past prejudices and recognize quality food regardless of whether it was cooked by an opponent (and thus may lessen the chances of said competitor to win the competition).
Source: Manga / Chūka Ichiban!
Cite this Source
Opponent and Competition. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/competition/opponent
Competition & Opponent. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/competition/opponent>.
Opponent or Competition. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/competition/opponent.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "competition" and "opponent" have occurred on timeline