1. involving or characterized by conflict or opposition between two parties
2. relating to a legal system where opposing parties present their cases before an impartial judge or jury
Usage: legal

Examples

• The two countries maintained an adversarial relationship for decades.
• The adversarial nature of the debate made it difficult to find common ground.
• The United States uses an adversarial legal system where lawyers argue opposing sides.
• Her adversarial approach to negotiations often created unnecessary tension.
• The adversarial proceedings lasted for months before reaching a verdict.
• Management and unions moved away from their traditionally adversarial relationship.
• The adversarial system requires both sides to present their strongest arguments.