adversary

adversary
adversariness, n.
/ad"veuhr ser'ee/, n., pl. adversaries, adj.
n.
1. a person, group, or force that opposes or attacks; opponent; enemy; foe.
2. a person, group, etc., that is an opponent in a contest; contestant.
3. the Adversary, the devil; Satan.
adj. Also, esp. Brit., adversarial /ad'veuhr sair"ee euhl/.
4. of or pertaining to an adversary.
5. involving adversaries, as plaintiff and defendant in a legal proceeding: an adversary trial.
[1300-50; ME adversarie < L adversarius, equiv. to advers(us) (see ADVERSE) + -arius -ARY; r. ME adversere < AF]
Syn. 1. ADVERSARY, ANTAGONIST mean a person or a group contending against another. ADVERSARY suggests an enemy who fights determinedly, continuously, and relentlessly: a formidable adversary. ANTAGONIST suggests one who, in hostile spirit, opposes another, often in a particular contest or struggle: a duel with an antagonist.
Ant. 1. ally.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Adversary — may refer to: In Judeo Christian religion: Satan, whose name means adversary in Hebrew. In computer science: Adversary (cryptography) is a malicious entity in cryptography whose aim is to prevent the users of the cryptosystem from achieving their …   Wikipedia

  • Adversary — Ad ver*sa*ry, n.; pl. {Adversaries}. [OE. adversarie, direct fr. the Latin, and adversaire, fr. OF. adversier, aversier, fr. L. adversarius (a.) turned toward, (n.) an adversary. See {Adverse}.] One who is turned against another or others with a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • adversary — ad·ver·sary 1 / ad vər ˌser ē/ n: one that contends with or opposes another; esp: any of the opposing parties in a legal action adversary 2 adj: of, relating to, or involving opposing parties or interests; specif: of, relating to, or involving a… …   Law dictionary

  • adversary — (n.) mid 14c., aduersere, from Anglo French adverser (13c.), O.Fr. adversaire adversary, opponent, enemy, or directly from L. adversarius opponent, adversary, rival, noun use of adjective meaning opposite, hostile, contrary, lit. turned toward… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Adversary — Ad ver*sa*ry, a. 1. Opposed; opposite; adverse; antagonistic. [Archaic] Bp. King. [1913 Webster] 2. (Law) Having an opposing party; not unopposed; as, an adversary suit. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • adversary — [ad′vər ser΄ē] n. pl. adversaries [ME < OFr adversarie < L adversarius < adversus, ADVERSE] a person who opposes or fights against another; opponent; enemy adj. of or characterized by opposing parties, as the plaintiff and defendant in a …   English World dictionary

  • adversary — *opponent, antagonist Analogous words: assailant, attacker, assaulter (see corresponding verbs at ATTACK): *enemy, foe: competitor, rival (see corresponding verbs at RIVAL) Antonyms: ally Contrasted words: colleague, *partner: supporter, champion …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • adversary — is stressed on the first syllable …   Modern English usage

  • adversary — [n] opponent antagonist, attacker, bad person, bandit, competitor, contestant, enemy, foe, match, opposer, opposite number*, oppugner, rival; concept 412 Ant. ally, assistant, backer, friend, helper, helpmate, supporter …   New thesaurus

  • adversary — ► NOUN (pl. adversaries) ▪ an opponent. ORIGIN Latin adversarius opposed, opponent …   English terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”