antipode

American  

[an-ti-pohd] / ˈæn tɪˌpoʊd /

noun

1. a direct or exact opposite.

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antipode British  

/ ˈæntɪpəʊd /

noun

1. the exact or direct opposite

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Etymology

Origin of antipode

First recorded in 1540–50; back formation from antipodes

Explanation

The direct opposite of something is its antipode. If your teacher asks what the antipode of the North Pole is, the answer is obvious: it's the South Pole. Mathematicians and geographers both use the term antipode to describe things that are on opposite sides of a sphere. In geography, this is often referred to as "the antipodes," points on the earth that are diametrically opposed. In math, an antipode can also be called an "antipodal point," used for two points falling on a line that goes through the middle of a sphere. The Greek root is antipous, "with feet opposite ours."

Example Sentences

Over tea, they discussed a £10,000 ‘‘scholar activist’’ grant offered by a British nonprofit group called the Antipode Foundation.

From New York Times • Aug. 15, 2017

Here was a vast, mysterious country on the other side of the globe from the U.S., the Great Geopolitical and Ideological Antipode.

From Time Magazine Archive