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
Following the release of the shipbuilding plan, Cao took to X to highlight the administration’s efforts to combat US adversaries like China.
—
Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 June 2026
Circuit boards present all sorts of opportunities for adversaries to sneak through malicious components.
—Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Particularly, the Democratic Party has worked to convince Black Americans that White people should be viewed as their adversaries.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Denver’s two most threatening adversaries in the conference have 17 future firsts combined, 11 of them trade-eligible.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
Are adversaries using this technique today?
—Yonesy Nunez, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Anthropic sued, claiming the Pentagon is illegally retaliating by stigmatizing the company with a designation meant to protect against sabotage of national security systems by foreign adversaries.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
The goal is to act as teammates rather than adversaries — for parents and teens to face the technology together, rather than confronting each other.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
And the Royals came close to vanquishing their longtime adversaries at Kauffman Stadium on Monday afternoon.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 25 May 2026
Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 June 2026
Circuit boards present all sorts of opportunities for adversaries to sneak through malicious components.
—Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Particularly, the Democratic Party has worked to convince Black Americans that White people should be viewed as their adversaries.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Denver’s two most threatening adversaries in the conference have 17 future firsts combined, 11 of them trade-eligible.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
Are adversaries using this technique today?
—Yonesy Nunez, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Anthropic sued, claiming the Pentagon is illegally retaliating by stigmatizing the company with a designation meant to protect against sabotage of national security systems by foreign adversaries.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
The goal is to act as teammates rather than adversaries — for parents and teens to face the technology together, rather than confronting each other.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
And the Royals came close to vanquishing their longtime adversaries at Kauffman Stadium on Monday afternoon.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversaries
Noun
-
Hunger and disease are always enemies that accompany war and sometimes can claim more lives than the fighting itself.—
William Lambers,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
-
The big and heavy fights in the new trailer for gen ATLAS (shown below) really remind me of fighting various large enemies in Gigantic Drive.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
While the ruling was a win for death penalty opponents fighting against the use of nitrogen gas, the court stopped short of granting Lee a stay of execution or attempting to banish the method altogether.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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Their opponents, who sought to defeat the Constitution’s ratification, were then dubbed the Anti-Federalists, much to the latter’s consternation.—
Jordan Cash,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Bolton is one of three prominent Trump foes who were indicted in federal court during the president's second, nonconsecutive term in the White House.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
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But the stark contrast between the two NFC West foes was underscored Monday with the Rams’ blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns to acquire future Hall of Fame pass rusher Myles Garrett.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
During the course of the series so far, the two best teams in baseball had become the bitterest of rivals, the animosity between them fueled by the Cubs’ treatment of their teammate Mark Koenig, a versatile infielder who’d been traded from the Yankees in mid-season.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
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James Adams, a political science professor at UC Davis, said that Becerra and Bass coming through indicates the centrist Democratic candidates were in a stronger short-term position than their rivals.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adversaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversaries. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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