ADVERSARIAL Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

adversarial

adjective

ˌad-vər-ˈser-ē-əl

Definition of adversarial

as in hostile

marked by opposition or ill will the relationship between the president and the congress should not be adversarial if anything is to get done

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of adversarial Minors shouldn’t face adversarial hearings, says Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies and former immigration judge. — Sarah Matusek, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026 And so these interviews, that these asylum officers conduct, gives the applicant a place to explain those and talk through them in, again, that non-adversarial environment. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026 The pilot sets up interesting tensions between Duke and surrogate father Kingsley and a livelier adversarial role for Pinnock, but Kingsley is gone for the majority of the six episodes (out of eight) sent to critics and Pinnock’s absence is felt. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 The goal was to find and fix the vulnerabilities before hackers and adversarial governments like China began using similar tools to find and exploit them for espionage and sabotage. — Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for adversarial

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adversarial

Adjective

Alice and Gemma really don’t seem to get along, and neither seems inclined to back down from their hostile postures.

— Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
The true target of the strike was Turkey, which has grown increasingly hostile toward Israel since the war in Gaza, and over its differing approach to Syria.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of hostile

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ad verbum

adversarial

adversaries

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“Adversarial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adversarial. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of adversarial

adjective

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