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
Pivot to Asia All of this shapes India’s policy toward China to manage an adversarial relationship with limited cooperation and convergences.
—
Shyam Saran, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
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
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
Shyam Saran, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversarial
Adjective
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Tampa is heading into a hostile environment against a feisty Seattle Seahawks team that matches them with a 3-1 record.—
Josh Buckhalter,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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Republicans, traditionally seen as more hostile to government, are often viewed as the shutdown aggressors.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The inflation hammering households is primarily due to the weak yen that the Abe government orchestrated with negative interest rates and massive monetary easing, causing a surge in energy and food prices that pinches voters’ wallets.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
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The website, though, shows a negative subtotal of more than $2 million, suggesting money allocated to the grant that was unspent.—
Meg Tirrell,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversarial. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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