Synonyms for ADVERSARIAL: hostile, negative, antagonistic, adverse, contentious, adversary, conflicting, opposed; Antonyms of ADVERSARIAL: sympathetic, civil, friendly, social, hospitable, …

ADVERSARIAL definition: pertaining to or characterized by antagonism and conflict See examples of adversarial used in a sentence.

Opposing & against (Definition of adversarial from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

(especially of political or legal systems) involving people who are in opposition and who argue against each other. Definition of adversarial adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, …

If you describe something as adversarial, you mean that it involves two or more people or organizations who are opposing each other.

Relating to or characteristic of an adversary; involving antagonistic elements: "Some speakers fall almost willingly into an adversarial relationship with the audience" (Don Pfarrer).

Adversarial definition: Relating to or characteristic of an adversary; involving antagonistic elements.

Aug 4, 2025 · adversarial (comparative more adversarial, superlative most adversarial) Characteristic of, or in the manner of, an adversary; combative, hostile, opposed. quotations

involving adversaries, as plaintiff and defendant in a legal proceeding: an adversary trial. ad′ver•sar′i•ness, n. 1. Adversary, antagonist mean a person or a group contending against another. …

Being adversarial means that each side is antagonistic, sharply opposed to the other, or locked into a deeply divided rivalry. In fact, this adjective is sometimes used simply to mean "hostile."