Words of Positivity
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Unrivaled

adj.capable, thoughtfulformal

What it means

Not matched by any competitor in the quality being judged.

Reach for it when Offering emphatic praise where comparison places one example clearly first.

Her unrivaled memory for local paths guided the search through heavy fog.

Choose between these

6
  • playful

    second to none

    strong praise should feel idiomatic

    not when too promotional for cautious analysis

  • everyday

    outstanding

    clear excellence matters more than first rank

    not when several examples can be outstanding

  • professional

    unmatched

    measured comparison finds no equivalent

    not when can mean not paired rather than superior

  • formal

    preeminent

    recognized leadership within a field is central

    not when can coexist with close rivals

  • formal

    unequaled

    nothing else reaches the same standard

    not when sounds absolute without a defined comparison set

  • literary

    peerless

    no equal exists in the field

    not when high-flown for modest practical praise

Said against

3
  • rivaled
  • surpassed
  • inferior

It naturally appears in

3
  • unrivaled expertise

    Unrivaled expertise helped the conservator identify the missing pigment.

  • virtually unrivaled

    The valley is virtually unrivaled for accessible night-sky viewing.

  • unrivaled reputation

    Decades of fair dealing built the cooperative's unrivaled reputation.

Where this comes from

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.