If you describe something as adversarial, you mean that it involves two or more people or organizations who are opposing eachother.
[formal]
In our country there is an adversarial relationship between government and business.
...an adversarial legal system.
adversarial in British English
(ˌædvɜːˈsɛərɪəl)
adjective
1.
pertaining to or characterized by antagonism and conflict
2. British
having or involving opposing parties or interests in a legal contest
US term: adversary
adversarial in American English
(ˌædvərˈsɛriəl)
adjective
1.
of or characterized by opposition, disagreement, hostility, etc., as between adversaries
2.
adversary
Examples of 'adversarial' in a sentence
adversarial
The relationship has become more adversarial.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Pastors who have been most successful in this system accept the necessity of adversarial relationships.
Christianity Today (2000)
At first the conversation was fairly adversarial in nature.
Stewart, Bob (Lt-Col) Broken Lives (1993)
This derives from their quite vulnerable legal status in the adversarial system.
Walklate, Sandra Victimology - the victim and the criminal justice process (1989)
Their advice is couched in uncertainties that are anathema to adversarial politics.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It challenges the feudal and often adversarial relationship between landlord and tenant that has existed for decades.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The first reason for our seemingly higher costs is our adversarial system.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But there was more to him than adversarial politics.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The adversarial court system is a strong disincentive for abuse victims to speak out.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
But it will directly expose already vulnerable people to the harshness and uncertainty inherent in an adversarial court system.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It is a limited adversarial relationship.
McInnes, Colin NATO's Changing Strategic Agenda (1990)
But tough, impassive adversarial processes are necessary.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The presumption of innocence and the equality of arms are either part of our gladiatorial adversarial criminal justice system or they are not.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is greatly preferable to the alternative of an expensive, adversarial system.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Concern was expressed at that time about voter apathy and adversarial politics where young people felt that there was little difference between political parties.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I think part of our problem is the adversarial nature of our system.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Such is his erudite, adversarial nature that any big winner has the coincidental benefit of focusing attention on unwelcome issues.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
These researchers also present evidence that compared to elementary school teachers, junior high teachers adopt a less personal and more adversarial relationship with students.
Larson, Reed & Richards, Maryse H. Divergent Realities: the Emotional Lives of Mothers, Fathers, and Adolescents (1994)
In a unique undertaking, those with competing financial interests and historically adversarial relationships came together to restore the city to a firm financial footing.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The system had become too adversarial, was too expensive, too uncertain and frequently there were appalling delays.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The Lords also has the strength that adversarial party politics are much less to the fore than in the Commons.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The main problem is the adversarial bipartisan nature of those democracies based on the Westminster or US model.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
These exchanges are likely to lead in unexpected directions and could become adversarial, or focus on exactly those situations you've regarded as not worth bothering with.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
adversarial
British English: adversarial ADJECTIVE
If you describe something as adversarial, you mean that it involves two or more people or organizations who are opposing each other.
In our country there is an adversarial relationship between government and business.