Synonyms for adversary
ad·ver·sa·ry

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. adversary

   An enemy in private life is one who is moved by hostile feeling with active disposition to injure; but in military language all who fight on the opposite side are called enemies or collectively "the enemy," where no personal animosity may be implied; foe, which is rather a poetical and literary word, implies intensely hostile spirit and purpose. An antagonist is one who opposes and is opposed actively and with intensity of effort; an opponent, one in whom the attitude of resistance is the more prominent; a competitor, one who seeks the same object for which another is striving; antagonists in wrestling, competitors in business, opponents in debate may contend with no personal ill will; rivals in love, ambition, etc., rarely avoid inimical feeling. Adversary was formerly much used in the general sense of antagonist or opponent, but is now less common, and largely restricted to the hostile sense; an adversary is ordinarily one who not only opposes another in fact, but does so with hostile spirit, or perhaps out of pure malignity; as, the great Adversary. Compare synonyms for AMBITION.

   Synonyms:
   antagonist, competitor, enemy, foe, opponent, rival

   Antonyms:
   abettor, accessory, accomplice, ally, friend, helper, supporter

   Preposition:
   He was the enemy of my friend in the contest.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. adversary

   Synonyms:
   antagonist, foe, enemy, rival, assailant

   Antonyms:
   accessory, abettor, alder, friend, helper, assistant, ally, accomplice

GCIDERate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Adversarynoun

   Synonyms:
   Adversary, Enemy, Opponent, Antagonist.

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:2.3 / 4 votes

1. adversary, antagonist, opponent, opposer, resisternoun

   someone who offers opposition

   Synonyms:
   obstructionist, opposer, obstructer, obstructor, opposite, antagonist, opposition, opponent, thwarter, resister

Matched Categories

1. • Person

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. adversarynoun

   Synonyms:
   enemy, foe, antagonist, opponent, adverse party

2. adversarynoun

   Synonyms:
   DEVIL, satan

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. adversarynoun

   Synonyms:
   enemy, foe, antagonist, opponent

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:1.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "adversary":

   opponent, enemy, foe, intruder, rival

Suggested Resources

1. adversary

   Song lyrics by adversary -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by adversary on the Lyrics.com website.

How to pronounce adversary?

How to say adversary in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

1. 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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use adversary in a sentence?

1. Michael Oren:

   Obama is wrong and you're right. But if there is any chance of budging him from his position, then you are making every possible mistake and turning him into an adversary. the last thing you want is for support of the Jewish state to become the monopoly of one party.

2. Ellen Pawlikowski:

   We can’t count on stealth to do everything for us. Stealth combined with other attributes that will allow us to deal with that threat. Speed and stealth are extremely important but also they don’t stand alone because when you are talking about air superiority it boils down to being able to act and react more quickly than you adversary can.

3. Ryan Olson:

   This adversary has aggressively targeted organizations in the United States and elsewhere in defense, technology and other critical sectors, while we're still learning more about the impact of these attacks, we urge United States to quickly patch vulnerable systems and follow recommendations for determining whether United States've been compromised.

4. Lionel Trilling:

   Any historian of the literature of the modern age will take virtually for granted the adversary intention, the actually subversive intention, that characterizes modern writing -- he will perceive its clear purpose of detaching the reader from the habits of thought and feeling that the larger culture imposes, of giving him a ground and a vantage point from which to judge and condemn, and perhaps revise, the culture that produces him.

5. Bob Gourley:

   Forensic evidence points pretty clearly to a very sophisticated nation state, this is a well-resourced adversary.Specifically, they are using the same tools and techniques previously associated with Russia.