opposition

American  

[op-uh-zish-uhn] / ˌɒp əˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

• oppositions
  plural

1. the action of opposing, resisting, or combating.

2. antagonism or hostility.

3. a person or group of people opposing, criticizing, or protesting something, someone, or another group.

4. Sometimes Opposition the major political party opposed to the party in power and seeking to replace it.

5. the act of placing opposite, or the state or position of being placed opposite.

6. the act of opposing, or the state of being opposed by way of comparison or contrast.

7. Logic.

   1. the relation between two propositions that have the same subject and predicate, but which differ in quantity or quality, or in both.

   2. the relation between two propositions in virtue of which the truth or falsity of one of them determines the truth or falsity of the other.

8. Astronomy. the situation of two heavenly bodies when their longitudes or right ascensions differ by 180°.

   The moon is in opposition to the sun when the earth is directly between them.

9. Astrology. the situation of two heavenly bodies or groups of heavenly bodies whose celestial longitudes differ by 180°, conducive to confrontation or revelation: an astrological aspect.

10. Electricity. the condition that exists when two waves of the same frequency are out of phase by one-half of a period.

11. Linguistics.

    1. the relationship between any two alternative units within a linguistic system, especially between minimally distinct phonemes.

    2. the feature that constitutes the difference between two such units.

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opposition British  

/ ˌɒpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of opposing or the state of being opposed

2. hostility, unfriendliness, or antagonism

3. a person or group antagonistic or opposite in aims to another

4. 1. a political party or group opposed to the ruling party or government

   2. ( capital as part of a name, esp in Britain and other Commonwealth countries )

      Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition

   3. (of a political party) opposing the government

5. a position facing or opposite another

6. the act of placing something facing or opposite something else

7. something that acts as an obstacle to some course or progress

8. astronomy

   1. the position of an outer planet or the moon when it is in line or nearly in line with the earth as seen from the sun and is approximately at its nearest to the earth

   2. the position of two celestial bodies when they appear to be diametrically opposite each other on the celestial sphere Compare conjunction

9. astrology an exact aspect of 180° between two planets, etc, an orb of 8° being allowed See conjunction square trine

10. logic

    1. the relation between propositions having the same subject and predicate but differing in quality, quantity, or both, as with all men are wicked; no men are wicked; some men are not wicked

    2. a diagram representing these relations with the contradictory propositions at diagonally opposite corners

11. chess a relative position of the kings in the endgame such that the player who has the move is at a disadvantage

    his opponent has the opposition

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opposition Scientific  

/ ŏp′ə-zĭsh′ən /

1. A characteristic movement of the primate thumb, in which the pad of the thumb can be placed in contact with the pads of the fingers of the same hand.

2. The position of two celestial bodies when their celestial longitude differs by 180°, especially a configuration in which Earth lies on a straight line between the Sun and a superior planet or the Moon. Planets in this position rise as the Sun sets and are visible all night long, reaching their highest point in the sky at midnight; the Moon in this position is full.

3. Compare conjunction See more at elongation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonopposition
  noun
• oppositionist
  noun
• preopposition
  noun
• superopposition
  noun
• oppositional
  adjective
• oppositionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• oppositions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of opposition

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin oppositiōn- (stem of oppositiō ), equivalent to opposit(us) ( see opposite) + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English opposicioun, from Old French opposicion, from Latin as above

Explanation

Opposition is something that goes against or disagrees with something or someone else. Just about any political view has opposition. Chances are you know the word opposite: this means something similar. The opposition to something goes in the opposite direction. There is always opposition to raising taxes in this county. The Republicans are the opposition of the Democrats (and vice versa). If you're holding a meeting, you could say, "Is there any opposition to this idea?" In war, the enemy is the opposition, and in a debate, the other speaker is the opposition. Whenever there's disagreement or confrontation, there's opposition.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

opposition oppositions

Offshore wind power, a complement to solar because it blows overnight, is lagging in California in the face of powerful political opposition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The opposition movement, she believes, fails to notice the hardship she sees at the bar—the women waiting for a spot at the shelter, or the regulars stretching a drink since their homes are empty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

McNamara said the EU had met with the opposition, government and even the chief justice to stress that any challenges to the vote outcome should be handled "peacefully".

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Thiago has the profile of a forward who can deliver in bursts, particularly against weaker opposition, and Brentford are likely to continue looking for him regularly inside the penalty area.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The establishment of another official body for communication and not action was, despite C.P’s opposition, unthreatening enough to receive even Charles Steel’s vote.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

“Confessions II” is, by nature, an album of these oppositions.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

"Obviously we discuss about the oppositions and their bowling strengths. It is all normal for every batter."

From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026

After beating fellow French club Brest 10-0 on aggregate in the play-offs, they then overcame successive English oppositions in Liverpool and Aston Villa.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2025

“They may still have honest oppositions but I think it’s important that there’s transparency around who funds them.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 10, 2023

On top of all the other oppositions, there may have been this final one: bartender, priest.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• enemy
• foe
• opponent
• rebel
• rival