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
Right now, the board and the assessor, Fritz Kaegi, have an adversarial relationship.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
The credential validates skills in securing AI models, defending against adversarial machine learning, and governing AI systems in compliance with evolving regulations.
—Kevin J. Conlan, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
But gradually, the relationship between Daisy and Hoke changes gears from adversarial to real affection, care and friendship.
—Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Well, the precedent here would be the 2015 referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom, where malign Russian actors do seem to have played a very big role in trying to promote the breakup of the United Kingdom, with a view to making Scotland some kind of adversarial entity.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
The credential validates skills in securing AI models, defending against adversarial machine learning, and governing AI systems in compliance with evolving regulations.
—Kevin J. Conlan, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
But gradually, the relationship between Daisy and Hoke changes gears from adversarial to real affection, care and friendship.
—Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Well, the precedent here would be the 2015 referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom, where malign Russian actors do seem to have played a very big role in trying to promote the breakup of the United Kingdom, with a view to making Scotland some kind of adversarial entity.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversarial
Adjective
-
This time, the report suggests that Cosco’s ownership stake would vary by port and that some terminals in jurisdictions hostile to China could be carved out.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Mar. 2026
-
While the industry has not in recent memory suffered a major disruption due to a hostile attack, smaller-scale DDoS attacks, as well as ransomware attacks, have disrupted pockets of the market.—
Reuters
Wire Service,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In fact, following a low-protein diet can have negative effects on older adults’ bone health and muscle mass.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
4 Mar. 2026
-
California schools now face legal pressure to disclose student gender information to parents, even when students fear negative family reactions.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversarial. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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