adversarial
adjective
ad·ver·sar·i·al
ˌad-vər-ˈser-ē-əl 
ˌad-və-,
-ˈse-rē-
: involving two people or two sides who oppose each other : of, relating to, or characteristic of an adversary or adversary procedures (see adversary entry 2 sense 2)
an adversarial relationship
an adversarial system of justice with prosecution and defense opposing each other
Examples of adversarial in a Sentence
an adversarial system of justice with prosecution and defense opposing each other
the relationship between the president and the congress should not be adversarial if anything is to get done
Recent Examples on the Web
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog — in a dinner that typically generates debate about whether the relationship between journalists and their sources should include socializing together and putting aside sometimes adversarial relationships.
—
Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
In Moscow, Hungary under Orbán had been a rare ally amid an adversarial EU.
—Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 23 Apr. 2026
His findings reflect the experience of the company’s Frontier Red Team, a group of 15 Anthropic employees tasked with challenging cybersecurity by simulating adversarial attacks.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
Spain, the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, has been less adversarial toward China than other EU countries in recent years.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
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Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
In Moscow, Hungary under Orbán had been a rare ally amid an adversarial EU.
—Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 23 Apr. 2026
His findings reflect the experience of the company’s Frontier Red Team, a group of 15 Anthropic employees tasked with challenging cybersecurity by simulating adversarial attacks.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
Spain, the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, has been less adversarial toward China than other EU countries in recent years.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adversarial
Cite this Entry
“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adversarial. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adversarial
adjective
ad·ver·sar·i·al
ˌad-vər-ˈser-ē-əl
: involving two people or two sides who oppose each other
Legal Definition
adversarial
adjective
ad·ver·sar·i·al
ˌad-vər-ˈser-ē-əl
: of, relating to, or characteristic of an adversary or adversary procedures : adversary
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