adversarial
adjective
ad·ver·sar·i·al
ˌad-vər-ˈser-ē-əl 
ˌad-və-,
-ˈse-rē-
: 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
Synonyms
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
There is a respectful but also adversarial element to coverage.
—
Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 8 July 2024
But many Democrats have urged the president to appear at more rallies and give more adversarial media interviews to demonstrate his vitality.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2024
Trump avoided new military entanglements, began extricating the United States from its 20-year occupation of Afghanistan, and engaged adversarial states such as China, North Korea, and Russia in ways that lessened the possibility of conflict.
—Andrew Byers, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2024
Sadly, the same is true of the two leads in Joe Penhall’s contrived, adversarial three-hander about confrontations between a local opposition MP (member of parliament) and her angry constituent.
—David Benedict, Variety, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for adversarial 
Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 8 July 2024
But many Democrats have urged the president to appear at more rallies and give more adversarial media interviews to demonstrate his vitality.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2024
Trump avoided new military entanglements, began extricating the United States from its 20-year occupation of Afghanistan, and engaged adversarial states such as China, North Korea, and Russia in ways that lessened the possibility of conflict.
—Andrew Byers, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2024
Sadly, the same is true of the two leads in Joe Penhall’s contrived, adversarial three-hander about confrontations between a local opposition MP (member of parliament) and her angry constituent.
—David Benedict, Variety, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for adversarial
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adversarial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near adversarial
Cite this Entry
“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adversarial. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
adversarial
adjective
ad·ver·sar·i·al
ˌad-vər-ˈser-ē-əl
: of, relating to, or characteristic of an adversary or adversary procedures : adversary
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share