An adversary is someone who fights against or opposes another. In tennis, you stand across the net from your adversary.
- Pronunciation: /ˈædvəsəri/
- English Description: a country or person you are fighting or competing against
STORY: Adversary as in "enemy" or "opponent" is related to the words adversarial, or hostile, or adverse, meaning against or contrary. The Adversary is a specific reference to Satan, or the Devil. The word adversary is from Middle English adversarie, from Latin adversarius, from adversus "against."
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
- The students are united by shared suffering, and by a common adversary— New York Times (Nov 10, 2014)