opponent

American  

[uh-poh-nuhnt] / əˈpoʊ nənt /

noun

• opponents
  plural

1. a person who is on an opposing side in a game, contest, controversy, or the like; adversary.

   Synonyms:

   antagonist

   Antonyms:

   friend, ally

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adjective

1. being opposite, as in position.

2. opposing; adverse; antagonistic.

3. Anatomy. bringing parts together or into opposition, as a muscle.

opponent British  

/ əˈpəʊnənt /

noun

1. a person who opposes another in a contest, battle, etc

2. anatomy an opponent muscle

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adjective

1. opposite, as in position

2. anatomy (of a muscle) bringing two parts into opposition

3. opposing; contrary

Usage

What does opponent mean? An opponent is someone who is against another person, as in a game, exhibition, or controversy. Opponent can also sometimes be used to describe being in opposition, as in Felix saw no opponent reason to change his vote. Example: Our opponent is strong, so don’t do anything reckless during the game.

Synonym Usage

Opponent, competitor, rival refer to persons engaged in a contest. Opponent is the most impersonal, meaning merely one who opposes; perhaps one who continually blocks and frustrates or one who happens to be on the opposite side in a temporary contest: an opponent in a debate. Competitor emphasizes the action in striving against another, or others, for a definite, common goal: competitors in business. Rival has both personal and emotional connotations; it emphasizes the idea that (usually) two persons are struggling to attain the same object: rivals for an office.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• opponency
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• opponents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of opponent

1580–90; < Latin oppōnent- (stem of oppōnēns, present participle of oppōnere to place over, against, or in front of, make an obstacle), equivalent to op- op- + pōn ( ere ) to place, set, put + -ent- -ent

Explanation

An opponent is your competition, whether it's a rival hockey team, or the other finalist in the chess tournament. Coaches tell you to never underestimate your opponent. Someone who competes or fights against you is your opponent. If you're arguing that chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla, the vanilla ice cream fan is your opponent. An opponent can also be someone who opposes, like an opponent of gun control laws. The Latin word opponent means setting against, and it was first used in English to describe the person who would begin a certain type of philosophical debate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

opponent opponents

Mike Rogers, his Republican opponent, has seized upon a clip of his once campaign partner, Hasan Piker, saying in 2019 that he believed America deserved 9/11.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

They had Mahomes driving an offense that could pick apart any opponent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Dominating the region meant controlling the movement of supplies into and out of each country, giving either side the ability to place enormous economic and military pressure on its opponent.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

A below-par Zverev scraped through the opening rounds at Flushing Meadows in a series of early-morning finishes, but he gradually improved over a fortnight where he did not play a top-20 opponent until Shelton.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Zed threw a few fake punches and zipped his feet back and forth like he was bobbing and weaving to avoid an opponent in the ring.

From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen

And yet, I had spent the day doing something to El-Sayed that his opponents were also doing in a very different way: insisting that the most revealing thing about him was his Muslimness.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Dr Jonathan Dean, from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, said the new design would not be enough to placate opponents of the firm's plans.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

He also has four goals in seven matches against Tuesday's opponents Liverpool during his time at Tottenham.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

In particular, opponents said, the Postal Service rules would have deprived millions of Americans of the ability to vote because many jurisdictions wouldn’t have had any feasible way to comply in time for the midterms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Just as he finished congratulating himself on his innocent ruse he was bumped hard by one of his opponents and knocked to his knees.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Related Words

• adversary
• aspirant
• candidate
• challenger
• competitor
• enemy
• foe
• opposition
• player
• rival