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

The 23-year-old postponed her pre-tournament media shortly after quitting a practice set against Russian Anna Kalinskaya with 10 minutes remaining.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

The film is a story of urban striving set against the backdrop of an emerging crop of skyscrapers, and to stand out from the crowds within them is the protagonist’s ardent ambition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

The revelation, delivered in a direct-to-camera 4½-minute video set against a backdrop of U.S. and California flags, became a top headline across the country.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

During the second set against Vekic, Richardson could be heard telling Raducanu to drive returns up the middle of the court - to drag her opponent into the longer duels that she did not relish.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

But soon as I heard the Preacher say the word deserve I knowed Pa was gonna be mighty set against this.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Related Words

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