equal vs rival

equal and rival both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
equal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
rival	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

As verbs, equal and rival are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of equal include match, touch.

equal (noun)	rival (noun)
a person who is of equal standing with another in a group	the contestant you hope to defeat

equal (adjective)	rival (adjective)
having the same quantity, value, or measure as another	as a rival in a competition
having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task

equal (verb)	rival (verb)
make equal, uniform, corresponding, or matching	be the rival of, be in competition with
be identical or equivalent to	be equal to in quality or ability
be equal to in quality or ability