"Adversarially" is the adverb form of "adversarial," which means being confrontational and behaving in an opposing manner. It implies engaging in conflict or disagreement often in a hostile, disagreeable, or antagonistic way.
For instance, a lawyer would argue adversarially in court against the other side's claims, opposing them with her own counterarguments, evidence, and logical arguments. This means she would argue in a confrontational and often competitive manner because a lawyer typically has high motivation to win a case.
"Adversarially" is not to be confused with "adversely," which means in a harmful, negative, or unfavorable way. Although the two words may look similar at first glance, they have distinct meanings.
The adjective "adversarial" is much more commonly used than its adverb form "adversarially." The word "adversarially" itself is not relatively commonly used in the English language.
Example sentences
- The debate unfolded adversarially, with each candidate vehemently defending their policies.
- Both sides conducted the negotiation process adversarially, making it difficult to settle the deal.
- The two teams played the game adversarially, displaying fierce competition.
- The students engaged in an adversarial discussion during the class debate.
- The legal system is designed to encourage parties to present their arguments adversarially.
- The adversarial approach in the courtroom can sometimes hinder cooperative resolution.
- The media coverage portrayed the political debate as adversarial and confrontational.
- The debate club members enjoyed engaging in adversarial discussions on various topics.
- The rival teams competed in an adversarial basketball match.
- The journalist conducted an adversarial interview with the controversial figure.
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