Meanings
adversary1
plural adversaries
- A person, group, or thing that opposes or attacks another person or group; an opponent or rival.
He prepared to fight his adversary.
2 more examples
In the political drama that Donald Trump has created in Washington, he could not have dreamed up a more formidable adversary than James Comey.
2017 June 8, Maeve Reston, “Trump meets the ultimate adversary in James Comey”, in CNN, archived from the original on 05 Aug 2017The real bombshell it contains is not the confidence of the spy agencies that Russia hoped to subvert American democracy. It is that US intelligence experts effectively confirmed that for the second election in a row, Trump acolytes repeatedly used, knowingly or otherwise, misinformation produced by the spies of one of America’s most sworn foreign adversaries to try to win a US election.
2021 March 17, Stephen Collinson, “New US intel report shows Russia, Trump and GOP acolytes have same goals”, in CNN, archived from the original on 01 Mar 2022Synonyms: villain, antagonist
Adversary2
- JudaismsometimesChristianityThe Devil; Satan.
Yahweh′s turning Gog around, putting hooks in his jaws, and bringing him out from the remotest parts of the north (Ezek. 38:4-6) is now interpreted as the release of the Adversary from prison.
1998, Daniel Isaac Block, The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 25-48Synonyms: Satan
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person, group, or thing that opposes or attacks another person or group; an opponent or rival.
proper nounThe Devil; Satan.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
adversary · noun
- Latinadversārius
- Old Frenchaversier
- Anglo-Normanaversaire
- Middle Englishadversarie
- Englishadversary
From Middle English adversarie, from Anglo-Norman aversaire (in Wace's Life of Saint Margaret) and Old French aversier, aversaire (French adversaire), from Latin adversārius, from adversus (“turned toward”). By surface analysis, adverse + -ary.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Adversary · proper noun
A biblical reference, Satan ultimately deriving from a borrowing of the Hebrew שָׂטָן (Śāṭān, “adversary, accuser”). (See also Satan).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek παλαιστής, ἀντίπαλος
- παλαιστής (palaistḗs)opponent
- ἀντίπαλος (antípalos)opponent
- ἐνστάτης (enstátēs)opponent
Arabic خَصْم, مُقَاوِم
- خَصْم (ḵaṣm)opponent
- مُقَاوِم (muqāwim)opponent
- مُخَالِف (muḵālif)opponent
Bulgarian проти́вник, проти́вница
- проти́вник (protívnik)opponent
- проти́вница (protívnica)opponent
- проти́вничка (protívnička)opponent
- неприя́тел (neprijátel)opponent
- неприя́телка (neprijátelka)opponent
- съпе́рник (săpérnik)opponent
- съпе́рница (săpérnica)opponent
- съпе́рничка (săpérnička)opponent
Catalan adversari, adversària
- adversariopponent
- adversàriaopponent
Chinese Mandarin 敵手 /敌手, 對手 /对手
- 敵手 /敌手 (díshǒu)opponent
- 對手 /对手 (duìshǒu)opponent
Czech protivník, protivnice
- protivníkopponent
- protivniceopponent
Danish modstander
- modstanderopponent
Dutch tegenstander, tegenstandster
- tegenstanderopponent
- tegenstandsteropponent
Esperanto adversulo
- adversuloopponent
Finnish vastustaja, vastapuoli
- vastustajaopponent
- vastapuoliopponent
- vihollinenopponent
French adversaire, ennemi
- adversaireopponent
- ennemiopponent
- ennemieopponent
German Gegner, Gegnerin
- Gegneropponent
- Gegnerinopponent
- Widersacheropponent
- Widersacherinopponent
- Gegenspieleropponent
- Gegenspielerinopponent
- Kontrahentopponent
- Kontrahentinopponent
Greek αντίπαλος
- αντίπαλος (antípalos)opponent
Hebrew יָרִיב, אוֹיֵב
- יָרִיב (yarív)opponent
- אוֹיֵב (oyév)opponent
Hindi प्रतियोगी, विरोधी
- प्रतियोगी (pratiyogī)opponent
- विरोधी (virodhī)opponent
Hungarian ellenfél
- ellenfélopponent
Icelandic andstæðingur, óvinur
- andstæðinguropponent
- óvinuropponent
Irish áibhirseoir
- áibhirseoirthe Devil
Italian avversario, avversaria
- avversarioopponent
- avversariaopponent
Japanese 敵, 相手
- 敵 (teki)opponent
- 相手 (aite)opponent
- アドバーサリー (adobāsarī)opponent
- 敵対者 (tekitaisha)opponent
Korean 적대자, 애드버서리
- 적대자 (jeokdaeja)opponent
- 애드버서리 (aedeubeoseori)opponent
- 경쟁자 (gyeongjaengja)opponent
Latin adversārius, adversāria
- adversāriusopponent
- adversāriaopponent
- adversāriusthe Devil
Norwegian Bokmål motstander, opponent
- motstanderopponent
- opponentopponent
Polish przeciwnik, przeciwniczka
- przeciwnikopponent
- przeciwniczkaopponent
- oponentopponent
- oponentkaopponent
- adwersarzopponent
- adwersarkaopponent
Portuguese adversário, adversária
- adversárioopponent
- adversáriaopponent
Romanian adversar, adversară
- adversaropponent
- adversarăopponent
Russian сопе́рник, сопе́рница
- сопе́рник (sopérnik)opponent
- сопе́рница (sopérnica)opponent
- проти́вник (protívnik)opponent
- проти́вница (protívnica)opponent
- неприя́тель (neprijátelʹ)opponent
- неприя́тельница (neprijátelʹnica)opponent
Slovak odporca, protivník
- odporcaopponent
- protivníkopponent
- protivníčkaopponent
Spanish adversario, adversaria
- adversarioopponent
- adversariaopponent
Swedish motståndare
- motståndareopponent
Turkish rakip
- rakipopponent
Ukrainian супроти́вник, супроти́вниця
- супроти́вник (suprotývnyk)opponent
- супроти́вниця (suprotývnycja)opponent
- проти́вник (protývnyk)opponent
- проти́вниця (protývnycja)opponent
- супе́рник (supérnyk)opponent
- супе́рниця (supérnycja)opponent
Urdu مُخالِف, رَقِیب
- مُخالِف (muxālif)opponent
- رَقِیب (raqīb)opponent
- حَرِیف (harīf)opponent
- دُشْمَن (duśman)opponent
- مَدِّ مُقابِل (madd-i muqābil)opponent
- خَصْم (xasm)opponent
Vietnamese đối thủ
- đối thủopponent
Cite this entry
adversary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adversary
“adversary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adversary. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “adversary,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adversary.
Source: adversary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.