opposable

[uh-poh-zuh-buh l]

adjective

capable of being placed opposite to something else: the opposable thumb of primates.

capable of being resisted, fought, or opposed.

Origin of opposable

First recorded in 1660–70; oppose + -able

Related formsop·pos·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·op·pos·a·ble, adjectiveun·op·pos·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for opposable

Contemporary Examples of opposable

If frogs had opposable thumbs, Kermit would be twiddling them when Muppets Most Wanted begins.
‘Muppets Most Wanted’ Is a Perfect (Utterly Silly) Muppet Movie
Kevin Fallon
March 21, 2014

Historical Examples of opposable

All the digits are armed with claws, and the pollex and hallux are not opposable.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
The thumb of their anterior paws is nearly as opposable as that of the posterior.
The Desert World
Arthur Mangin
It has an opposable hallux and a non-hairy, but scaly, tail.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
The great-toe is large and can be moved from and to the side of the other digits, but is not opposable to them.
A Hand-book to the Primates, Volume 1 (of 2)
Henry O. Forbes
What would man's power be as a tool-using animal without his strong, opposable thumb?
The Last Harvest
John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for opposable

opposable

adjective

capable of being opposed

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

capable of being placed opposite something else

Derived Formsopposably, adverbopposability, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for opposable

adj.

1660s, "capable of being withstood," from oppose + -able. In reference to human thumbs, from 1833. Related: Opposability.