adversarially

Adversarially is an English adverb formed from the adjective adversarial, used to describe actions, processes, or attitudes characterized by opposition between parties or agents. It is commonly used to indicate that something is conducted as a contest between rival sides, often with the aim of defeating or undermining one position in relation to another.

Etymology and form: The word derives from the Latin adversarius, from ad- “toward” and versus “turned against,” and entered English through Latin or medieval French borrowings. The suffix -al forms the adjective adversarial, and the -ly suffix yields the adverb adversarially.

Usage and context: In legal contexts, proceedings are described as adversarial when opposing parties present evidence and arguments before a neutral decision maker, as opposed to inquisitorial systems. In computer science and artificial intelligence, adversarially describes inputs, models, or training regimes that involve deliberate opposition by an adversary, such as adversarial examples, adversarial perturbations, or adversarial training. In game theory and economics, agents may interact adversarially, optimizing against each other’s strategies, often in competitive environments. The term is also used more generally to characterize debates, investigations, or analyses conducted in a confrontational or combative manner.

Examples: The debate proceeded adversarially, with each side challenging the other's premises. The model was trained to withstand adversarially perturbed inputs to improve robustness.

See also: adversarial, adversarial network, adversarial training.