set against

British  

verb

1. to balance or compare

   to set a person's faults against his virtues

2. to cause to be hostile or unfriendly to

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set against Idioms  

1. Be or cause someone to be opposed to, as in Civil wars often set brother against brother, or The police chief's critics were set against his officers. [Late 1200s] Also see dead set against.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

set against

And before the Dodgers opened a three-game set against the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, Hernández met with the hitting coaches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

This is set against the backdrop of research indicating that testosterone levels have generally declined over the last 50 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

During the clay-court swing, Sabalenka capitulated after winning the first set against Hailey Baptiste in Madrid, Sorana Cirstea in Rome and, most notably, Diana Shnaider at Roland Garros.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Eager cruise passengers zipping around New York's southern shores rush to the starboard bow: a humpback whale is up for air, a breathtaking sighting set against Manhattan's iconic skyline.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

When a small galaxy runs into a larger one face-on it can produce one of the loveliest of the rare irregulars, a ring galaxy thousands of light-years across, set against the velvet of intergalactic space.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• analyze
• contrast
• correlate
• equal
• match
• measure
• study