adversary
Americannoun
-
a person, group, or force that opposes or attacks; opponent; enemy; foe.
- Antonyms:
- ally
-
a person, group, etc., that is an opponent in a contest; contestant.
-
the Adversary, the devil; Satan.
adjective
-
of or relating to an adversary.
-
involving adversaries, as plaintiff and defendant in a legal proceeding.
an adversary trial.
noun
-
a person or group that is hostile to someone; enemy
-
an opposing contestant in a game or sport
adjective
Synonym Usage
Adversary, antagonist mean a person or a group contending against another. Adversary suggests an enemy who fights determinedly, continuously, and relentlessly: a formidable adversary. Antagonist suggests one who, in hostile spirit, opposes another, often in a particular contest or struggle: a duel with an antagonist.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of adversary
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English adversarie, from Latin adversārius; equivalent to adverse + -ary; replacing Middle English adversere, from Anglo-French
Explanation
An adversary is an enemy or someone who opposes someone else. In tennis, you stand across the net from your adversary. Adversary is related to the word adverse, meaning "against or contrary" — so think of an adversary as someone whom you are fighting against. If you're the undefeated chess champion, you have bested every single one of your adversaries. Adversary is derived from a Latin word meaning "against."
Vocabulary lists containing adversary
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 1
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"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" by Patrick Henry (1775)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the package also included another bill that’s arguably earned more attention: the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
From Slate • Apr. 25, 2024
In the House, voting on the so-called TikTok bill - real name, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act - has concluded.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2024
The Texas Republican and former Navy combat veteran also has given the legislation a compelling name: “The Anti-Foreign Adversary Collaboration Resolution.”
From Washington Times • Mar. 8, 2023
The Death of the Adversary had been out of print for decades after being published in German in 1959 and in English in 1962.
From The Guardian • Oct. 17, 2010
Bring such a Man to the Tombstone on which shall be inscribed an Epitaph on his Adversary, composed in the spirit which we have recommended.
From A Century of English Essays An Anthology Ranging from Caxton to R. L. Stevenson & the Writers of Our Own Time by Rhys, Ernest
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
