1
as in enemies
one that is hostile toward another
our old cat seemed to consider the new kitten an adversary
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opponents
one that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict
our adversaries in tomorrow's meet are from one of the top schools in the league
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of adversaries
To that end, a bigger threat to clean power than the endangerment finding repeal could be new rules issued by the Treasury Department late last week that will restrict access to tax credits for projects that source parts from China and other adversaries.
—
Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 17 Feb. 2026
Shooting and beating American citizens in the streets, demolishing history, covering up obvious crimes, threatening our allies, targeting political adversaries and using the office for personal enrichment are just a few things that have occurred and gone unchecked by powers that control Congress.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Contrast his approach to adversaries to that of Biden.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 16 Feb. 2026
McCarthy warned that being too quick to bring untested criminal cases against political adversaries risks damaging institutional legitimacy regardless of which party is in power.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 Feb. 2026
However, his adversaries are crying foul and seeking legal action against the 80-year-old leader and the samba school, alleging the tribute kicked off his campaign six months in advance.
—ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026
Texans deserve absolute assurance that no taxpayer dollars are used—directly or indirectly—to support institutions tied to terrorist organizations, criminal networks, or foreign adversaries.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Today's sentencing underscores the unwavering commitment of the FBI and our partners to defending the homeland and holding accountable anyone who tries to subvert the will of American voters at the behest of our adversaries.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Last year, for example, the president openly directed Bondi to go after former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James — two high-profile political adversaries of the president.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 11 Feb. 2026
Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 17 Feb. 2026
Shooting and beating American citizens in the streets, demolishing history, covering up obvious crimes, threatening our allies, targeting political adversaries and using the office for personal enrichment are just a few things that have occurred and gone unchecked by powers that control Congress.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Contrast his approach to adversaries to that of Biden.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 16 Feb. 2026
McCarthy warned that being too quick to bring untested criminal cases against political adversaries risks damaging institutional legitimacy regardless of which party is in power.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 Feb. 2026
However, his adversaries are crying foul and seeking legal action against the 80-year-old leader and the samba school, alleging the tribute kicked off his campaign six months in advance.
—ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026
Texans deserve absolute assurance that no taxpayer dollars are used—directly or indirectly—to support institutions tied to terrorist organizations, criminal networks, or foreign adversaries.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Today's sentencing underscores the unwavering commitment of the FBI and our partners to defending the homeland and holding accountable anyone who tries to subvert the will of American voters at the behest of our adversaries.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Last year, for example, the president openly directed Bondi to go after former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James — two high-profile political adversaries of the president.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversaries
Noun
-
The president has directed the department to pursue his personal enemies and has replaced career DOJ employees with inexperienced MAGA loyalists, sometimes to the detriment of his own agenda.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Olivia, Bailey’s mother, was really Kate Smith, and her father was Nicholas Bell (David Morse), famous mob lawyer for The Syndicate, or The Organization, a group notorious for crimes and brutal retaliation against their enemies.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The core of key contributors across Cherundolo’s tenure plus remaining players from the class who arrived in the same window as Son – center back Ryan Porteous and midfielder Mathieu Choinière – were bolstered by transfers who align with how Dos Santos envisions LAFC challenging opponents.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Some pundits predicted he would be outclassed by his more experienced political opponents during the presidential debates.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Beyond the Epstein files, Democrats raised broad concerns about the Justice Department increasingly investigating and prosecuting the president’s political foes.—
Ana Ceballos,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Pine has outscored its playoff foes 24-0.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
India is one of OpenAI’s top markets for ChatGPT and alongside rivals like Perplexity are offering their products for free in a race to gain users and potentially lucrative data for further training.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
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The North American rivals cannot meet until the gold medal game.—
Stephen Whyno,
Twin Cities,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adversaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversaries. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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