opposite
situated, placed, or lying face to face with something else or each other, or in corresponding positions with relation to an intervening line, space, or thing: opposite ends of a room.
contrary or radically different in some respect common to both, as in nature, qualities, direction, result, or significance; opposed: opposite sides in a controversy;opposite directions.
being the other of two related or corresponding things: Most of my family lives on the opposite coast, so I only see them a few times a year.
Botany.
situated on diametrically opposed sides of an axis, as leaves when there are two on one node.
having one organ vertically above another; superimposed.
adverse or inimical.
a person or thing that is opposite or contrary.
an antonym.
Archaic. an opponent; antagonist.
across from; facing: The guest of honor sat opposite me at the banquet.
in a role parallel or complementary to: He has played opposite many leading ladies.
on opposite sides.
on the opposite side: I was at one end and she sat opposite.
to the opposite side; in the opposite direction: I went to the left balcony, and he went opposite.
Origin of opposite
1synonym study For opposite
Other words for opposite
| 1 | facing |
| 2 | incompatible, irreconcilable, unlike, differing |
Opposites for opposite
Other words from opposite
- op·po·site·ly, adverb
- op·po·site·ness, noun
- sub·op·po·site, adjective
- sub·op·po·site·ly, adverb
- sub·op·po·site·ness, noun
Words Nearby opposite
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use opposite in a sentence
The trajectory of the Sun, meanwhile, is the opposite of Chicago’s journey.
It’s Win Or Go Home This Week In The WNBA Playoffs | Howard Megdal | September 15, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThough this may seem like yet another effort to “get tough” on China, it does just the opposite.
Trump’s TikTok ban isn’t ‘tough on China’—it’s actually quite the opposite | jakemeth | September 9, 2020 | FortuneUnfortunately, federal officials are doing just the opposite.
Gutting this federal program could undermine Americans’ confidence in a COVID vaccine | jakemeth | September 6, 2020 | FortuneSteve Levitt tries to learn more about this one-time academic and Hollywood non-conformist, who is both very similar to him and also quite his opposite.
“I Started Crying When I Realized How Beautiful the Universe Is” | People I (Mostly) Admire Ep. 2: Mayim Bialik | Steven D. Levitt | September 5, 2020 | FreakonomicsIt had the opposite effect after Republicans protested the move.
Sacramento Report: 3 Takeaways From a Wild Legislative Session | Sara Libby | September 4, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
The media tend to frame situations like this as aberrations, but in this case, quite the opposite is the truth.
Today’s GOP: Still Cool With Racist Pandering? | Michael Tomasky | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTBut quite unlike the schmuck, and this is the fun part, they never run up the white flag; indeed quite the opposite.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game | Michael Tomasky | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTCouple walked towards the opposite end of the dungeon, where she previously played with Destiny.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau | Ian Frisch | December 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAs Rathod noted, SIX is not supposed to be merely the opposite of ALEC.
I'm very interested in Liv Ullmann for the woman's part, opposite Sean … yes … oh, I see then.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen we speak against one capital vice, we ought to speak against its opposite; the middle betwixt both is the point for virtue.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. BallouSam sat opposite him in perfect silence, waiting, with eager curiosity, for the termination of the scene.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles DickensThe opposite of these two methods of rote learning is my method, which injects an active process between each pair of words.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)A method of Vacuity pure and simple—the exact opposite of Mental Assimilation.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)The characteristics of the different forms are well shown in the table on opposite page, modified from Hill.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for opposite
/ (ˈɒpəzɪt, -sɪt) /
situated or being on the other side or at each side of something between: their houses were at opposite ends of the street
facing or going in contrary directions: opposite ways
diametrically different in character, tendency, belief, etc: opposite views
botany
(of leaves, flowers, etc) arranged in pairs on either side of the stem
(of parts of a flower) arranged opposite the middle of another part
maths
(of two vertices or sides in an even-sided polygon) separated by the same number of vertices or sides in both a clockwise and anticlockwise direction
(of a side in a triangle) facing a specified angle: Abbreviation: opp
a person or thing that is opposite; antithesis
maths the side facing a specified angle in a right-angled triangle
a rare word for opponent
Also: opposite to facing; corresponding to (something on the other side of a division): the house opposite ours
as a co-star with: she played opposite Olivier in ``Hamlet''
on opposite sides: she lives opposite
Derived forms of opposite
- oppositely, adverb
- oppositeness, 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
Scientific definitions for opposite
[ ŏp′ə-zĭt ]
Arranged as one of a pair on either side of a stem or twig. Maple and ash trees have opposite leaves. Compare alternate.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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