A principal enemy or bitter rival; someone's worst or most important opponent.
From Greek 'arche' (chief, principal) combined with 'enemy' (from Old French 'enemis'). The prefix 'arch-' has been used since medieval times to denote the most important or powerful of something.
Batman and the Joker are arguably the most iconic archenemy pair in modern culture—but their relationship is fascinatingly codependent; the Joker often claims Batman needs him to define himself, suggesting every 'archenemy' reveals something about their opponent's identity.
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