arch-rivals
Longtime fierce competitors
Arch-rivals are competitors whose opposition to each other is especially intense, long-standing, or dramatic.
The prefix arch- signals that these aren't ordinary rivals but the most significant or defining ones—the rivalry that matters most.
The term appears frequently in sports, politics, and business to describe pairs locked in ongoing competition: The two tech giants have been arch-rivals for decades.
It can also describe personal enmities that have become legendary or defining for both parties.
Hostile opposing parties
- foesHostile opponents
- opponentsThose who compete against
- nemesisPersistent source of ruin
- antagonistsOpponents in conflict
bête noire · counterparts · challengers · contenders · combatants · opposers · sworn enemies · archenemies
enemies
Hostile opposing parties
antagonists · bête noire · counterparts · challengers · contenders · combatants · opposers · sworn enemies · archenemies · blood feud
hostility
Antagonistic disposition toward others
hatred · antipathy · acrimony · bitterness · resentment · tension · friction · discord · ill will · contempt
matchup
Scheduled competitive pairing
- showdownDecisive final confrontation
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
- duelPrearranged one-on-one combat
face-off · battle · contest · championship · playoffs · finals · derby · fixture · head-to-head · rematch
arch-rivalsbest friends
Closest mutual companions
partners · bosom buddies · soulmates · collaborators · confederates
arch, rival, rivals, rivalry, rivalries, arched, arches, arching, archbishop