adversative

American  

[ad-vur-suh-tiv] / ædˈvɜr sə tɪv /

adjective

1. expressing contrariety, opposition, or antithesis.

   “But” is an adversative conjunction.

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noun

1. an adversative word or proposition.

adversative British  

/ ədˈvɜːsətɪv /

adjective

1. (of a word, phrase, or clause) implying opposition or contrast. But and although are adversative conjunctions introducing adversative clauses

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noun

1. an adversative word or speech element

Other Word Forms

• adversatively
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of adversative

1525–35; < Late Latin adversātīvus, equivalent to adversāt ( us ) (past participle of adversārī to resist; see adverse, -ate ¹) + -īvus -ive

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

adversative

Ginsburg explicitly said it “may be assumed” that most women did not want to go through the adversative model of VMI.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026

Companies that in the past had an adversative relationship with conservation groups have begun to take actions that are more than public relations.

From Time Magazine Archive

The difficulty of preserving the effect of the Greek is increased by the want of adversative and inferential particles in English, and by the nice sense of tautology which characterizes all modern languages.

From Charmides by Benjamin Jowett

But is termed the adversative coördinate conjunction because it usually introduces something adverse to what has already been said.

From Composition-Rhetoric by Stratton D. Brooks

Other words of an adversative nature are yet, however, nevertheless, only, notwithstanding, and still.

From Composition-Rhetoric by Stratton D. Brooks

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Related Words

• antagonistic

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