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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of adversaries
Roosevelt used his relationship with the press not just to gain publicity but also to deny it to adversaries.
—
JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025
Both address vulnerabilities that adversaries already exploit—and both have recent, tangible demonstrations that turn theory into operational reality.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
Trump levied his greatest assault against the international economic order, announcing the most expansive set of tariffs in American history on both autocratic adversaries and America’s closest democratic allies in April 2025 (Russia was strikingly excluded).
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
As such, this is a program that will be very interesting to see develop over the coming years and one that the Russian Navy's key adversaries will be watching very closely, as this weapon moves toward operational capability.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Szoboszlai’s athleticism was crucial against an opponent whose commitment to playing out from the back played straight into Liverpool’s hands after suffering at the hands of more direct adversaries recently.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
But Mamdani also shares Obama’s desire to reach out to adversaries and be a unifying force in politics.
—Ben Adler, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Rob Geist Pinfold, lecturer in international security at King’s College London, compared the adversaries’ behavior to a childhood game of chicken.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
Potential adversaries interpret political action in zero-sum terms; see malice and evil design in mere blunders and coincidence; trumpet necessity rather than navigate choice; and, in extreme cases, invent pretext or promise profit to make more palatable a dubious cause.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025
Both address vulnerabilities that adversaries already exploit—and both have recent, tangible demonstrations that turn theory into operational reality.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
Trump levied his greatest assault against the international economic order, announcing the most expansive set of tariffs in American history on both autocratic adversaries and America’s closest democratic allies in April 2025 (Russia was strikingly excluded).
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
As such, this is a program that will be very interesting to see develop over the coming years and one that the Russian Navy's key adversaries will be watching very closely, as this weapon moves toward operational capability.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Szoboszlai’s athleticism was crucial against an opponent whose commitment to playing out from the back played straight into Liverpool’s hands after suffering at the hands of more direct adversaries recently.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
But Mamdani also shares Obama’s desire to reach out to adversaries and be a unifying force in politics.
—Ben Adler, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Rob Geist Pinfold, lecturer in international security at King’s College London, compared the adversaries’ behavior to a childhood game of chicken.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
Potential adversaries interpret political action in zero-sum terms; see malice and evil design in mere blunders and coincidence; trumpet necessity rather than navigate choice; and, in extreme cases, invent pretext or promise profit to make more palatable a dubious cause.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversaries
Noun
-
That stark reality forced both sides to wage slash-and-burn propaganda campaigns designed to sow doubt and disinformation among their enemies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But he’s considered a centrist Democrat and has attracted political enemies from both the Right and Progressives, the former due to his pro-LBGT policies and the latter due to his support of centrist leaders such as District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In New York City, State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race against high-profile opponents.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
A number of billionaires collectively spent more than $22 million to back Mamdani’s opponents, according to Forbes.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Defeating Lebanon’s Hezbollah, including killing Nasrallah, and bombing Iran’s facilities in June (with Trump sending American warplanes to assist) were widely seen by Israelis as historic victories over the country’s most threatening foes.—
Aluf Benn,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Start the man who has thrown more touchdowns against the Dolphins than his other AFC East foes combined.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Sea’s operating expenses also jumped by 28%, as its e-commerce arm Shopee tries to strengthen its competitive edge of rivals like Alibaba’s Lazada and ByteDance’s TikTok Shop.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
-
American pasta makers regularly complain that their Italian rivals are underpricing their goods.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adversaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversaries. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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