adversarial

adjective

ad·ver·sar·i·al | \ ˌad-vər-ˈser-ē-əl

, ˌad-və-, -ˈse-rē-\

Definition of adversarial

: involving two people or two sides who oppose each other : of, relating to, or characteristic of an adversary or adversary procedures (see adversary entry 2 sense 2) an adversarial relationship an adversarial system of justice with prosecution and defense opposing each other

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Examples of adversarial in a Sentence

an adversarial system of justice with prosecution and defense opposing each other the relationship between the president and the congress should not be adversarial if anything is to get done

Recent Examples on the Web

Indeed, some China experts fear that the U.S., by adopting a more adversarial approach, weakens China’s reformers and strengthens its nationalist factions, making conflict more likely. — Greg Ip, WSJ, "Trump Didn’t Kill the Global Trade System. He Split It in Two.," 26 Dec. 2018 The five-day walkout ended in an all-night round of negotiations — that’s why the district and the union are taking a less-adversarial approach to bargaining this year. — Neal Morton, The Seattle Times, "Seattle teachers and staff vote to authorize a strike — unless a deal is reached by Sept. 5," 28 Aug. 2018 Trump also suggested Tuesday morning that his adversarial approach to trade policy had only begun. — Damian Paletta, BostonGlobe.com, "President Trump threatens Harley-Davidson with taxes ‘like never before’," 26 June 2018 Trump also suggested Tuesday morning that his adversarial approach to trade policy had only begun. — Damian Paletta, chicagotribune.com, "Trump threatens Harley-Davidson with taxes 'like never before' and eventual collapse," 26 June 2018 Didit’s vision for Gawker is radically different than that of the blog’s founder Nick Denton, whose approach to adversarial journalism exposed the website to costly litigation. — Jonathan Randles, WSJ, "Digital Advertising Firm Didit Close to Acquiring Gawker.com," 29 May 2018 The Washington Post reported that those judges will now be able to dismiss asylum claims after a cursory review, without an adversarial hearing. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "The Migrant Caravan Enters Trump’s Hostile Immigration Maze," 1 May 2018 An adversarial process—with testimony by relevant witnesses supported by contemporaneous documents—is the best way to make a determination about Ms. Ford’s and Judge Kavanaugh’s credibility. — Libby Locke, WSJ, "The Attack on Kavanaugh Is Un-American," 26 Sep. 2018 The change suggests the president is adopting a more adversarial posture toward the investigation. — Toluse Olorunnipa, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Hints He Won’t Speak With Mueller for Russia Probe," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adversarial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.