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

In view of the doubtful status of adversative atque at the time of Ovid and the ease of corruption of atqui to atque I have followed Heinsius in reading atqui.

From The Last Poems of Ovid by Mark Bear Akrigg

They are sometimes adversative; sometimes they are simply cumulative.

From Study of the King James Bible by Cleland Boyd McAfee

But the conjunction is often omitted in copulative and adversative clauses, as in Sec.

From An English Grammar by James Witt Sewell

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Related Words

• antagonistic

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