oppositional

American  

[op-uh-zish-uh-nl] / ˌɒp əˈzɪʃ ə nl /

Rarely oppositionary

adjective

1. opposing, resisting, or combating; expressing a view or stance against something or someone.

   In experimental film one often finds an oppositional attitude toward mainstream culture, and a desire to forge an alternative.

2. expressing antagonism or hostility.

   Learning effective coping skills can reduce the negative influences of anger, oppositional behavior, and poor impulse control.

3. relating to or being in a contrastive, symmetrical, or complementary two-way relation.

   This remote-controlled wooden floor lamp is a simple, efficient, seemingly oppositional pairing of the natural and technological.

---

Other Word Forms

• unoppositional
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of oppositional

opposition ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

"Her experience of street-level oppositional politics from the Communist era could, however, see a return."

From BBC • May 5, 2026

He also presents Christina Crawford as a bitter, oppositional personality from early on, and he quotes other family members who insist they saw none of the abuse alleged in “Mommie Dearest.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

From its inception, the facility faced widespread public opposition, including mass protests, forest defense occupations, and hundreds of hours of oppositional public comment.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2025

Though the film does not provide easy answers, it does point in the direction of what could be done to make relations between police and citizens less oppositional.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2024

It brought together the old revolutionary rhetoric, even deploying some familiar Jeffersonian language, with all the oppositional energy of the Whig tradition, then hurled it at assumption as the new incarnation of foreign domination.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis