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
Giving self-optimizing, proactive AI systems the keys to perform independent actions can lead to adversarial behaviors, amplified biases that can cause systemic vulnerabilities and questions of accountability in the event of AI-orchestrated breaches or disruptions.
—
Pieter Danhieux, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
This week, PCMag's security team traveled to Las Vegas for the Black Hat cybersecurity conference to engage in some intense cybersecurity conversations about adversarial AI, malware, and all the ways to stop bad guys from ruining your business or scamming you out of house and home.
—PC Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
This alternate funder may be an investor hoping for uncorrelated returns, a wealthy donor with personal or business interests in the case, or an affiliate of an adversarial nation seeking to undermine U.S. competitiveness.
—Michael Patrick Flanagan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Without notice, the district allegedly brought in legal counsel to the meetings, which led to adversarial exchanges where students did not have representation.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Pieter Danhieux, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
This week, PCMag's security team traveled to Las Vegas for the Black Hat cybersecurity conference to engage in some intense cybersecurity conversations about adversarial AI, malware, and all the ways to stop bad guys from ruining your business or scamming you out of house and home.
—PC Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
This alternate funder may be an investor hoping for uncorrelated returns, a wealthy donor with personal or business interests in the case, or an affiliate of an adversarial nation seeking to undermine U.S. competitiveness.
—Michael Patrick Flanagan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Without notice, the district allegedly brought in legal counsel to the meetings, which led to adversarial exchanges where students did not have representation.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Cite this Entry
“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adversarial. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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