adjective
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capable of being opposed
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Also: apposable. (of the thumb of primates, esp man) capable of being moved into a position facing the other digits so as to be able to touch the ends of each
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capable of being placed opposite something else
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of opposable
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Rwanda trip, Mr. Attenborough says, wasn’t supposed to be about gorillas at all, but rather the opposable thumb, one of the significant characteristics we share with the great apes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Unlike Lucy, the Burtele foot kept an opposable big toe, which would have been useful for climbing.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2025
“A thumb, yes, because the opposable thumb is what differentiates us from beasts.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024
Davy’s social media manager — presumably someone with aligned values and opposable thumbs — reacted to several news items during the season.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2023
The dolphins glare at me tonight, and although a lack of opposable thumbs makes swordplay unlikely, I find them far more threatening than usual.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
