проти́вник
protívnikmasculine
The Russian word for adversary is проти́вник (protívnik). Wiktionary also lists сопе́рник (sopérnik) and сопе́рница (sopérnica).
Meaning: opponent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| проти́вник | protívnik | masculine |
| сопе́рник | sopérnik | masculine |
| сопе́рница | sopérnica | feminine |
| проти́вница | protívnica | feminine |
| неприя́тель | neprijátelʹ | masculine |
| неприя́тельница | neprijátelʹnica | feminine |
Which one should you use?
The choice between these words depends on the nature of the conflict: проти́вник is a neutral term for an opponent in sports, games or debates. сопе́рник implies a sense of competition or rivalry, often used in the context of business or sports. And неприя́тель carries a much stronger connotation of hostility and is closer to the English word 'enemy' than 'opponent'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of проти́вник is проти́вники. The form проти́вника is used for the genitive singular (of the opponent) or the accusative singular (the opponent) for animate nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
protívnik
Did you know?
- The term неприя́тель is built from the root прия́тель, which means 'friend'. The prefix не- simply negates it, making an adversary literally a 'non-friend'.
- In Russian, the female forms like сопе́рница or проти́вница are grammatically precise. While English uses 'adversary' for everyone, Russian changes the word ending to reflect the gender of the rival.
- In Russian grammar, проти́вник triggers a special rule called the animate accusative. This means the direct object form looks identical to the possessive form, a rule that does not apply to inanimate objects.
Examples in context
- Ты достойный соперник!You are a worthy adversary!
- Он является моим противникомHe is my adversary.
- Мой проти́вник очень силён.Moy protivnik ochen' sil'yon.My opponent is very strong.
- Он достойный проти́вник в шахматах.On dostoynyy protivnik v shakhmatakh.He is a worthy opponent in chess.
- Мы изучили каждого проти́вника в группе.My izuchili kazhdogo protivnika v gruppe.We studied every opponent in the group.
Example conversation
Andrey and Anastasia are discussing a competitive sports match.
- Андрей AndreyКто твой главный проти́вник сегодня?Kto tvoy glavnyy protivnik segodnya?Who is your main opponent today?
- Анастасия AnastasiaЯ буду играть против чемпионов.Ya budu igrat' protiv chempionov.I will be playing against champions.
- Андрей AndreyАнастасия, ты готова к этой борьбе?Anastasiya, ty gotova k etoy bor'be?Anastasia, are you ready for this struggle?
- Анастасия AnastasiaДа, я настроена на победу!Da, ya nastroyena na pobedu!Yes, I am set on winning!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “adversary” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
