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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use opposite in a sentence
In either case, you would get the opposite of the correct direction.
Can you expose the truth in these two riddles? | Claire Maldarelli | August 26, 2020 | Popular-ScienceTatum let Ennis set his screen and cut to the opposite side of the court, and Tatum barely moved.
The departing stars form two long tails — each hundreds of light-years long — streaming out of opposite sides of the cluster.
Milky Way’s tidal forces are shredding a nearby star cluster | Ken Croswell | August 18, 2020 | Science News For StudentsDo three reps total, then switch your stance so your opposite leg is forward.
Prevent Overuse Climbing Injuries with These Exercises | Hayden Carpenter | August 8, 2020 | Outside OnlineAt the opposite end of the spectrum are teams that had terrible 60-game stretches totally uncharacteristic of the rest of their season.
Bad Teams May Be Posing As Good Teams In A 60-Game Baseball Season | Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com) | August 7, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
Any list of his conspicuous qualities turns out to be a recitation of opposites.
Shaked spoke in these generalities initially—referring to two sets of people, two polar opposites on a pendulum.
Knesset Member Walks Back On Facebook Post Calling Palestinian Kids ‘Little Snakes’ | Gideon Resnick | July 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTReally, though, the American Atheist convention in Salt Lake City is not a clash of opposites.
For one thing, it sounds like it has to do “dark matter,” but they are almost complete opposites.
Using Black Holes to Measure Dark Energy, Like a BOSS | Matthew R. Francis | April 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn classic TV style, this pair of oddballs proves that opposites really do attract.
‘Sleepy Hollow’ Is TV’s Craziest, Most Over-the-Top New Show ... And You Should Watch It | Amy Zimmerman | October 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTEver since the world began, the inexplicable attraction which opposites have for each other has been admitted.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence | Eugne SueThe extreme ends or the heads of the needles must be opposites, the head of one negative and the head of the other positive.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | VariousThey rose at flies which were the exact opposites of each other in size, character, and colour.
Angling Sketches | Andrew LangBenefits and wrongs are opposites; a slave can bestow a benefit upon his master, if he can receive a wrong from his master.
L. Annaeus Seneca On Benefits | SenecaBut by some mysterious law of opposites, as she went down the pail went up.
The Gentle Art of Cooking Wives | Elizabeth Strong Worthington
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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