student asking question

What does "adversary" mean? An archenemy, perhaps?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Adversary" can mean opponent, rival, enemy, or competitor. Archenemy is a bit too strong of a word, as it indicates intense rivalry or conflict. Adversary is often used negatively, to express conflict or dispute. Ex: Russia and the United States were old adversaries during the Cold War. Ex: I recently bumped into my old video game adversary. We used to get ultra competitive during competitions.

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