adversary
/ˈadvəs(ə)ri
/noun (plural adversaries)
One’s opponent in a contest, conflict, or dispute: Davis beat his old adversary in the quarter-finals...
- He was a vigorous adversary to opponents, but he was also a very fair and honest man.
- I believe he would prove to be a formidable adversary.
- Once there, he expects to be coming up against an old adversary.
Synonyms
opponent, rival, enemy, foe, nemesis, antagonist, combatant, challenger, contender, competitor, opposer, fellow contestant;
opposition, competition
rare corrival
adjective /ˈadvəs(ə)ri / /adˈvəːsəri/
/ /adˈvəːsəri/ another term for adversarial. the confrontations of adversary politics...
- Winner-take-all electoral systems and adversary politics result in truth being irrelevant.
- Amendments to the Criminal Procedure law in 1996 introduced adversary elements to the fact-finding process in criminal trials.
- You are not judges now, but advocates under this adversary system we have been discussing.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French adversarie, from Latin adversarius 'opposed, opponent', from adversus (see adverse).