opposite
Other forms: opposites
Opposite means “other." If you’re walking to school and realize you forgot your math homework, turn around and walk in the opposite direction to go back and get it.
You say "yes," but I say "no": we're on opposite sides of the debate. Opposite can also mean "across," as in a house that’s on the opposite side of the street from yours. The word has Latin roots, from op, “in front of,” and ponere, “to put” — think about putting something up against something else. Related words are opponent, "the person you’re up against in a game," and oppose, "to disagree."
Definitions of opposite
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being directly across from each other; facing“"And I on the opposite shore will be, ready to ride and spread the alarm"- Longfellow”“we lived on opposite sides of the street”“at opposite poles”
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Synonyms:
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other
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
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other
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moving or facing away from each other“looking in opposite directions”“they went in opposite directions”
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Synonyms:
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other
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
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other
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directly facing each other“they sat opposite at the table”
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synonyms:
face-to-face
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characterized by opposite extremes; completely opposed“opposite meanings”
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synonyms:
diametric, diametrical, polar
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different
unlike in nature, quality, form, or degree
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different
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altogether different in nature or quality or significance“the medicine's effect was opposite to that intended”“"it is said that opposite characters make a union happiest"- Charles Reade”
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Synonyms:
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different
unlike in nature, quality, form, or degree
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different
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the other one of a complementary pair“the opposite sex”“the two chess kings are set up on squares of opposite colors”
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Synonyms:
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other
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
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other
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of leaves etc; growing in pairs on either side of a stem
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a relation of direct opposition
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type of:
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oppositeness, opposition
the relation between opposed entities
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oppositeness, opposition
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something inverted in sequence or character or effect
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synonyms:
inverse
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types:
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additive inverse
(mathematics) one of a pair of numbers whose sum is zero; the additive inverse of -5 is +5
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multiplicative inverse, reciprocal
(mathematics) one of a pair of numbers whose product is 1: the reciprocal of 2/3 is 3/2; the multiplicative inverse of 7 is 1/7
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type of:
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oppositeness, opposition
the relation between opposed entities
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additive inverse
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a word that expresses a meaning opposed to the meaning of another word, in which case the two words are antonyms of each other
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synonyms:
antonym, opposite word
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Antonyms:
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equivalent word, synonym
two words that can be interchanged in a context are said to be synonymous relative to that context
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types:
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direct antonym
antonyms that are commonly associated (e.g., `wet' and `dry')
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indirect antonym
antonyms whose opposition is mediated (e.g., the antonymy of `wet' and `parched' is mediated by the similarity of `parched' to `dry')
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type of:
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word
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
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equivalent word, synonym
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a contestant that you are matched against
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synonyms:
opponent, opposition
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type of:
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contestant
a person who participates in competitions
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contestant
Pronunciation
US
/ˈɑpəzət/
UK
/ˈɒpəzɪt/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘opposite'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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