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
But both Venezuela's geography and its weak security institutions may also frustrate attempts to quickly and efficiently establish robust governance capable of countering the presence of dug-in adversarial forces.
—
Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
The politicians' public rhetoric prior to the meeting was adversarial, so many were surprised when the mayor-elect’s visit went so smoothly.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 23 Nov. 2025
Polanco said Mamdani needs to keep that firmly in mind, especially since the two have previously taken an adversarial tone.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
Trump repeatedly jumped in to defend Mamdani against adversarial press questions, for example.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
The politicians' public rhetoric prior to the meeting was adversarial, so many were surprised when the mayor-elect’s visit went so smoothly.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 23 Nov. 2025
Polanco said Mamdani needs to keep that firmly in mind, especially since the two have previously taken an adversarial tone.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
Trump repeatedly jumped in to defend Mamdani against adversarial press questions, for example.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversarial
Adjective
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There are guns, horses, ghosts, a primal struggle for survival in hostile terrain, family feuds and a steadily intensifying sense of mortal threat, as Old Porch’s ambition and psychopathy escalate the drama.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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Fire department suffering low morale When Washington was fired, City Manager Sheryl Long blamed him for creating a hostile work environment for female firefighters and for failing to improve the department's workplace culture.—
Aaron Valdez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In a recent Instagram post, Kardashian laughed off negative reviews of the show, which also stars Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts and Glenn Close, has been receiving from fans.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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People with a nonfunctioning ANGPTL3 gene — which Natarajan says applies to about 1 in 250 people in the US — have lifelong levels of low LDL cholesterol and triglycerides without any apparent negative consequences.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversarial. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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