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
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
The third season of The Comeback has aired over only two months, but the season’s core adversarial relationship, between the grasping desperation of the creative community and the steady encroachment of AI, has only taken on an increasingly dominant role in Hollywood’s ongoing conversations.
—
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
But hackers working for criminal groups and adversarial nations already have this skill set, cyber researchers say.
—Hugh Son,samantha Subin, CNBC, 8 May 2026
In adversarial testimony, Ashley, 29, repeatedly sparred with Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Koonce, accusing her of repeating questions or asking for irrelevant details.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Their announcement was a departure from what has been the more typically adversarial relationship between Mamdani and Menin, who stand on different ends of the Democratic Party spectrum and have developed mostly antagonistic positions in the city’s budget process.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
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Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
But hackers working for criminal groups and adversarial nations already have this skill set, cyber researchers say.
—Hugh Son,samantha Subin, CNBC, 8 May 2026
In adversarial testimony, Ashley, 29, repeatedly sparred with Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Koonce, accusing her of repeating questions or asking for irrelevant details.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Their announcement was a departure from what has been the more typically adversarial relationship between Mamdani and Menin, who stand on different ends of the Democratic Party spectrum and have developed mostly antagonistic positions in the city’s budget process.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Cite this Entry
“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adversarial. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adversarial
adjective
ad·ver·sar·i·al
ˌad-vər-ˈser-ē-əl
: involving two people or two sides who oppose each other
Legal 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
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