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.
These firewalls monitor and filter interactions with LLMs, blocking suspicious or adversarial inputs that could influence the model’s behavior. Alex Pinaev, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025 With the lawsuit, filed on Friday in Florida federal court, the Journal becomes the latest media outlet targeted by Trump for adversarial reporting, joining ABC News and CBS News. Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 18 July 2025 The quick and smooth system of payouts originally envisioned has evolved into a more adversarial one with lawyers for the Department of Justice duking it out with plaintiffs’ attorneys, which Kennedy says runs counter to the program’s intent. Patricia Callahan, CNN Money, 18 July 2025 Secondary tariffs are trade penalties imposed not directly on an adversarial country, but on third-party nations, companies, or entities that continue to do business with that adversary in violation of sanctions or restrictions. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 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 24 Jul. 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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