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
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
Once Lamb finally takes his theory of the case to the Park, too, hitting them with unassailable logic that their Libyan adversaries are turning the tables on them out of revenge for a 2013 coup attempt.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
The Cuban Missile Crisis suggests that leaders sometimes respond more effectively when adversaries stay quiet and that open declarations of intent, paradoxically, can make governments more likely to dismiss threats as posturing.
—Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
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
Once Lamb finally takes his theory of the case to the Park, too, hitting them with unassailable logic that their Libyan adversaries are turning the tables on them out of revenge for a 2013 coup attempt.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
The Cuban Missile Crisis suggests that leaders sometimes respond more effectively when adversaries stay quiet and that open declarations of intent, paradoxically, can make governments more likely to dismiss threats as posturing.
—Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversaries
Noun
-
Lower courts have ruled Trump overstepped his authority under a law historically used for imposing economic sanctions and other penalties on foreign enemies.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Price, a former Navy man, is conveying the exhaustion of Black sailors and soldiers in a military that continues to enshrine—most recently, in the names of Army bases—its Confederate enemies.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 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
-
Some of them were former foes, while others are superstars he's never faced in the ring.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Trump’s tariff strong-arming has rattled relationships with America’s friends and foes.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
What are my rivals doing with gen AI?—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
5 Nov. 2025
-
His legitimacy, lineage, gender and Protestant religion gave him the edge over his rivals, even if there were still doubts over the legality of his claim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adversaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversaries. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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