What does corrival mean?
A corrival is a rival — someone who competes with another person for the same prize, position, honor, or affection. The word entered English in the early seventeenth century, borrowed from Latin rivalis, which originally described neighbors who drew water from the same stream and were therefore natural competitors. In English, corrival functions primarily as a noun, though it can occasionally appear as an adjective describing mutual rivalry. It was never an everyday word: even at its most current, it carried a somewhat literary flavor, favored by writers who wanted a more formal or Latinate alternative to "rival." Today it is largely obsolete, surviving mainly in older texts, historical scholarship, and the occasional deliberate archaism. Readers who encounter it can safely read it as simply "a rival," while appreciating the word as a reminder that competition often begins with two people wanting the very same thing — once, quite literally, from the same brook.
A rival; a person competing with another for the same object or honor.
"The two candidates had been corrivals ever since their university days."
Archaic or literary in register; rarely used outside historical or antiquarian contexts.
Having the same rival; mutually engaged in rivalry.
"Their corrival ambitions for the throne set the brothers against each other."
This adjectival sense is rarer still than the noun and is chiefly of historical interest.
Standard pluralization; used when referring to multiple rivals, especially those sharing a common rival or goal.
"The champion faced three determined corrivals in the semifinals."
Before the word "rival" stood alone, writers spoke of "corrivals" — people who literally shared the same brook, since Latin rivalis meant those drawing water from the same stream and thus competing for it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of corrival
Corrival derives from Latin rivalis, originally meaning one who shares the same brook or stream (from rivus, "brook"), and hence a neighbor or competitor. The word passed into English in the early seventeenth century via French influence, formed with the prefix co- to mean one who is jointly a rival or who shares the same rival. It belongs to the same family as "rival" and its derivatives such as "rivalry."
Related word forms
How corrival is actually used
Corrival is now rare and archaic in tone, found chiefly in older literature and formal historical writing; "rival" has almost entirely displaced it in modern usage. It can also function as an adjective meaning "having the same rival" or "mutually rivaling," but this use is even rarer than the noun.
Easily confused with corrival
"Correlative" means mutually related or corresponding, whereas "corrival" means a person who is one's rival.