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
But school officials across the country worry that making lawsuits for damages easier to win will create a more adversarial relationship between parents and schools in the difficult negotiations needed to balance a student’s needs with a school’s limited resources.
—
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025
The result is a riveting one-man-army showdown that doubles as a powerful statement on the need for collective action against adversarial forces.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 25 Apr. 2025
American film critics were beginning to adopt a more adversarial philosophy, influenced by the auteur theory calcified in Cahiers du cinéma magazine.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
These could take the form of a large array of satellites or clusters of satellites that would be resilient to Chinese attack, especially when augmented by large numbers of uncrewed aerial vehicles that can detect adversarial forces and serve as nodes for communication.
—Andrew S. Lim, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
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Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025
The result is a riveting one-man-army showdown that doubles as a powerful statement on the need for collective action against adversarial forces.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 25 Apr. 2025
American film critics were beginning to adopt a more adversarial philosophy, influenced by the auteur theory calcified in Cahiers du cinéma magazine.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
These could take the form of a large array of satellites or clusters of satellites that would be resilient to Chinese attack, especially when augmented by large numbers of uncrewed aerial vehicles that can detect adversarial forces and serve as nodes for communication.
—Andrew S. Lim, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 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 2 May. 2025.
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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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