Political Opponents

noun a character in a story or movie who is portrayed as the antagonist

• The police were able to apprehend the bad guy after a lengthy investigation.
• I heard that the bad guy got away with stealing from the store last night.
• That dude is such a bad guy, always causing trouble.
• In the movie, the protagonist must confront the inner bad guy to overcome his personal demons.

noun a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity

verb compete with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity

• The company faced tough competition from its rival in the market.
• My rival in the tennis match was really good.
• I can't stand that guy, he's my rival in everything.
• Fear can be seen as a rival that holds us back from achieving our goals.