[1805–15; rivalr(y) + -ous]This word is first recorded in the period 1805–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Indo-European, diminishing returns, phase, platinum, polarization-ous is a suffix forming adjectives that have the general sense “possessing, full of”a given quality (covetous; glorious; nervous; wondrous); -ous and its variant -ious have often been used to Anglicize Latin adjectives with terminations that cannotbe directly adapted into English (atrocious; contiguous; garrulous; obvious; stupendous). As an adjective-forming suffix of neutral value, it regularly Anglicizes Greekand Latin adjectives derived without suffix from nouns and verbs; many such formationsare productive combining forms in English, sometimes with a corresponding nominalcombining form that has no suffix (as -fer and -ferous; -phore and -phorous; -pter and -pterous; -vore and -vorous)
Examples of 'rivalrous' in a sentence
rivalrous
Late twentieth-century woman has become in every aspect an equal, often rivalrous partner to her man.
Skelton, Alison Scott AN OLDER WOMAN
Both described their close relationship as often rivalrous and contentious.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I had for the moment forgotten the rivalrous history shared by the countries.
The Times Literary Supplement (2015)
Somalia in 1992 was a war zone with no effective government, presided over by rivalrous warlords.