as in hostile
marked by opposition or ill will
the relationship between the president and the congress should not be adversarial if anything is to get done
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Recent Examples of adversarial
Make no mistake, there are journalists working today who take that charge as seriously as Wallace ever did and show up every day committed to the uncomfortable, adversarial craft that once defined the profession.
—
Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2026
Trump’s focus on Venezuela and the Maduro raid Suffice to say that the relationship between the United States and Venezuela has been complicated, even adversarial, for decades.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
Mamdani and Menin have assumed slightly adversarial positions in the first months of their leadership, and swiping her top budget staffer during tense negotiations over the city’s budget could serve to add another layer of stress to the relationship.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Such a distinction had only ever applied to infrastructure firms, like Huawei or Kaspersky Labs, with ties to adversarial foreign governments, and there was no domestic precedent.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2026
Trump’s focus on Venezuela and the Maduro raid Suffice to say that the relationship between the United States and Venezuela has been complicated, even adversarial, for decades.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
Mamdani and Menin have assumed slightly adversarial positions in the first months of their leadership, and swiping her top budget staffer during tense negotiations over the city’s budget could serve to add another layer of stress to the relationship.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
Such a distinction had only ever applied to infrastructure firms, like Huawei or Kaspersky Labs, with ties to adversarial foreign governments, and there was no domestic precedent.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversarial
Adjective
-
Our city workers have consistently risen above the vitriol and accusations of hostile political leaders to do the jobs that our residents expect.—
Venus Molina,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
While Kirk may have received hostile or threatening messages, including on social media, those were not part of any identified or actionable threat stream monitored by federal authorities, the person told Sganga.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Drug and alcohol screenings came back negative.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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European luxury brands pulled the French stock market into negative territory on Tuesday as a raft of disappointing earnings weighed on the sector.—
Joseph Wilkins,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversarial. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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