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

Bahceli was reportedly among those most insistent on demanding a revote and urging Erdogan to take a more aggressive, adversarial policy toward the West. — Jason Epstein, National Review, "Whoever Wins Istanbul’s Mayoral Election, There’s Trouble Ahead for Erdogan," 22 June 2019 This state of affairs has produced toxic politics and a highly adversarial relationship between the political opposition and security agencies, especially the police. — Moses Khisa, Quartz Africa, "President Museveni has twisted Uganda’s constitution to cling to power," 21 June 2019 But adversarial politics aren’t the sole domain of the left, nor does everyone who wants to fundamentally reshape the country subscribe to them. — Alex Pareene, The New Republic, "In search of the Democratic Party's fighting spirit," 20 June 2019 And particularly with Putin’s rise, because Putin had a very adversarial relationship or view of the US, and even paranoid to some degree. — Eric Johnson, Vox, "Russia and China are waging a “shadow war” against the US, and the battlefields will be AI and space, CNN’s Jim Sciutto says," 11 June 2019 Two new and adversarial nuclear powers separated by one hundred miles of Persian Gulf waters are an alarming prospect. — Daniel Benjamin, The New York Review of Books, "Reckless in Riyadh," 30 May 2019 What excites you about exploring this different adversarial dynamic? — Derek Lawrence, EW.com, "Billions creators break down the backstabbing, twist-filled season 4 finale," 10 June 2019 Those measures include preregistered studies, in which investigators spell out their aims and methods before performing the work, and adversarial collaborations, in which scientists with clashing ideas team up. — Mitch Leslie, Science | AAAS, "Talk to the hand. Scientists try to debunk idea that finger length can reveal personality and health," 6 June 2019 These days, the Fortnight no longer has a monopoly on edgy programming in Cannes, and the two festivals have developed a relationship that could be described as both symbiotic and adversarial. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "In May 1968, the Cannes Film Festival ground to a halt. Fifty years later, it's still sparking controversy," 20 Apr. 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.