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
Jena Griswold, Colorado’s Democratic secretary of state, has come to see the federal government as adversarial to elections and election administration, rather than a partner.
—
Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 13 Apr. 2026
Spain, the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, has been less adversarial toward China than other EU countries in recent years.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Information-sharing by US AI companies about adversarial distillation echoes a standard practice in the cybersecurity industry, where firms regularly swap data on attacks and adversaries’ tactics as a way to strengthen network defenses.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
As a result, the system continued to function effectively despite the presence of adversarial behavior, demonstrating the framework’s potential to improve resilience in real-world applications, according to a press release.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 13 Apr. 2026
Spain, the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, has been less adversarial toward China than other EU countries in recent years.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Information-sharing by US AI companies about adversarial distillation echoes a standard practice in the cybersecurity industry, where firms regularly swap data on attacks and adversaries’ tactics as a way to strengthen network defenses.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
As a result, the system continued to function effectively despite the presence of adversarial behavior, demonstrating the framework’s potential to improve resilience in real-world applications, according to a press release.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversarial
Adjective
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Being on the road and in a hostile environment is something that Ayton also is looking forward to.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
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The race between Jones and Jackson has been incredibly hostile, with both releasing a myriad of attack ads and going after one another in debates.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
The country is already carbon-negative, over 70 percent forested (the national constitution requires at least 60 percent to be preserved), and powered almost entirely by hydroelectricity.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
-
Trappings near her home in following months caught a variety of deer mice and white-footed mice, though the rodents tested negative for the virus.—
Eva Flowe
May 6,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversarial. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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