adversarial

adjective

ad·​ver·​sar·​i·​al ˌad-vər-ˈser-ē-əl How to pronounce adversarial (audio)
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
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.
But with both countries facing tariff heat from Washington, could economic challenges push Beijing and New Delhi toward reluctant cooperation, transforming their adversarial relationship? Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025 And a lot of it has to do with the failure of journalism and the lack of adversarial journalism that’s asking hard questions — one of the things of the themes of this film is kind of cycles of impunity. Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025 This means testing with adversarial inputs, simulating edge cases and using mechanisms like multi-model consensus to reduce the risk of errors and bias. Albert Castellana, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025 In January 2024, Darjean filed adversarial proceedings in bankruptcy court, seeking to prevent the judgment from being discharged and accusing Sanders of delaying document production to the trustee. Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for adversarial

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of adversarial was in 1839

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Cite this Entry

“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adversarial. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids 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 How to pronounce adversarial (audio)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of an adversary or adversary procedures : adversary

More from Merriam-Webster on adversarial

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