defensive vs rival

defensive

adj
  • Displaying an inordinate sensitivity to criticism or intrusion; oversensitive; thin-skinned. 

  • Intended for defence; protective. 

  • In a state or posture of defense. 

  • Of a bowling or fielding tactic designed to prevent the other side from scoring runs; of a batting tactic designed to prevent being out. 

  • Performed so as to minimise risk. 

  • Pertaining to defense, as opposed to attack. 

  • Intended to deter attack. 

noun
  • A means, attitude or position of defense. 

rival

adj
  • Having the same pretensions or claims; standing in competition for superiority. 

verb
  • To be equal to, or match, or to surpass another. 

  • To oppose or compete with. 

  • To strive to equal or excel; to emulate. 

noun
  • A competitor (person, team, company, etc.) with the same goal as another, or striving to attain the same thing. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of a competitor. 

  • Someone or something with similar claims of quality or distinction as another. 

How often have the words defensive and rival occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )