Word Study
opposite
CIDE DICTIONARY
opposite, a. [F., fr. L. oppositus, p. p. of opponere. See Opponent.].
- Placed over against; standing or situated over against or in front; facing; -- often with
to ; as, a house opposite to the Exchange; the concert hall and the state theater stood opposite each other on the plaza. [1913 Webster] - Situated on the other end of an imaginary line passing through or near the middle of an intervening space or object; -- of one object with respect to another; as, the office is on the opposite side of town; -- also used both to describe two objects with respect to each other; as, the stores were on opposite ends of the mall. [PJC]
- Applied to the other of two things which are entirely different; other; as, the opposite sex; the opposite extreme; antonyms have opposite meanings. [1913 Webster]
- Extremely different; inconsistent; contrary; repugnant; antagonistic. [1913 Webster]"Novels, by which the reader is misled into another sort of pleasure opposite to that which is designed in an epic poem." [1913 Webster]"Particles of speech have divers, and sometimes almost opposite, significations." [1913 Webster]
- Set over against each other, but separated by the whole diameter of the stem, as two leaves at the same node. [1913 Webster]
opposite, n.
- One who opposes; an opponent; an antagonist. [1913 Webster]"The opposites of this day's strife." [1913 Webster]
- That which is opposed or contrary in character or meaning; as, sweetness and its opposite; up is the opposite of down. [1913 Webster]"The virtuous man meets with more opposites and opponents than any other." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
opposite, adj., n., adv., & prep.
--adj.
1 (often foll. by to) having a position on the other or further side, facing or back to back.
2 (often foll. by to, from) a of a contrary kind; diametrically different. b being the other of a contrasted pair.
3 (of angles) between opposite sides of the intersection of two lines.
4 Bot. (of leaves etc.) placed at the same height on the opposite sides of the stem, or placed straight in front of another organ.
--n. an opposite thing or person or term.
--adv.
1 in an opposite position (the tree stands opposite).
2 (of a leading theatrical etc. part) in a complementary role to (another performer).
--prep. in a position opposite to (opposite the house is a tree).
--adj.
1 (often foll. by to) having a position on the other or further side, facing or back to back.
2 (often foll. by to, from) a of a contrary kind; diametrically different. b being the other of a contrasted pair.
3 (of angles) between opposite sides of the intersection of two lines.
4 Bot. (of leaves etc.) placed at the same height on the opposite sides of the stem, or placed straight in front of another organ.
--n. an opposite thing or person or term.
--adv.
1 in an opposite position (the tree stands opposite).
2 (of a leading theatrical etc. part) in a complementary role to (another performer).
--prep. in a position opposite to (opposite the house is a tree).
Idiom
opposite number a person holding an equivalent position in another group or organization. opposite prompt the side of a theatre stage usually to an actor's right. the opposite sex women in relation to men or vice versa.
Derivative
oppositely adv. oppositeness n.
Etymology
ME f. OF f. L oppositus past part. of opponere: see OPPONENT
THESAURUS
opposite
across, adversary, adversative, adverse, adversive, against, alien, antagonistic, anti, antipathetic, antipodal, antipode, antipodean, antipodes, antipole, antithesis, antithetic, antithetical, antonym, antonymous, at cross-purposes, at opposite extremes, back to back, balancing, clashing, compensating, competitive, con, conflicting, confronting, contra, contradictory, contradistinct, contrapositive, contrarious, contrariwise, contrary, contrary to, contrast, contrasted, contrasting, converse, counter, counteractive, counterbalance, counterbalancing, countercheck, counterpoint, counterpoise, counterpoised, counterpole, counterterm, countervailing, cross, dead against, detrimental, different, differing, difficult, disaccordant, discordant, discrepant, dissentient, dissimilar, divergent, diverse, enemy, eyeball to eyeball, eyeball-to-eyeball, face to face, facing, foil, fractious, fronting, hard, harmful, hostile, in contact with, in contrast with, in front of, in opposition, in opposition to, inconsistent, independent, inimical, inverse, irreconcilable, just opposite, miserable, negative, noncooperative, nose to nose, not easy, obstinate, obverse, offset, on, opponent, opposed, opposing, opposite number, opposite to, oppositional, oppositive, oppugnant, over against, overthwart, perverse, polar, polaric, polarized, poles apart, recalcitrant, refractory, replica, repugnant, reverse, rigorous, rival, separate, setoff, sinister, squared off, stressful, the contrary, the other side, to, toward, troublesome, troublous, trying, unalike, unconnected, uncooperative, unfavorable, unfriendly, unlike, unpropitious, unrelated, unsimilar, untoward, up against, upon, versus, vis-a-vis, wretchedROGET THESAURUS
opposite
Contrariety
N contrariety, contrast, foil, antithesis, oppositeness, contradiction, antagonism, clashing, repugnance, inversion, the opposite, the reverse, the inverse, the converse, the antipodes, the antithesis, the other extreme, contrary, contrarious, contrariant, opposite, counter, dead against, converse, reverse, opposed, antithetical, contrasted, antipodean, antagonistic, opposing, conflicting, inconsistent, contradictory, at cross purposes, negative, hostile, differing toto coelo, diametrically opposite, diametrically opposed, as opposite as black and white, as opposite as light and darkness, as opposite as fire and water, as opposite as the poles, as different as night and day, Hyperion to a satyr, quite the contrary, quite the reverse, no such thing, just the other way, tout au contraire, contrarily, contra, contrariwise, per contra, on the contrary, nay rather, vice versa, on the other hand, all concord's born of contraries, Thesis, antithesis, synthesis.Inversion
N inversion, eversion, subversion, reversion, retroversion, introversion, contraposition, contrariety, reversal, turn of the tide, overturn, somersault, somerset, summerset, culbute, revulsion, pirouette, transposition, transposal, anastrophy, metastasis, hyperbaton, anastrophe, hysteron proteron, hypallage, synchysis, tmesis, parenthesis, metathesis, palindrome, pronation and supination, inverted, wrong side out, wrong side up, inside out, upside down, bottom upwards, keel upwards, supine, on one's head, topsy-turvy, sens dessus dessous, inverse, reverse, opposite, top heavy, inversely, hirdy-girdy, heels over head, head over heels.Contraposition
N contraposition, opposition, polarity, inversion, opposite side, reverse, inverse, counterpart, antipodes, opposite poles, North and South, antonym, opposite (contrariety), opposite, reverse, inverse, converse, antipodal, subcontrary, fronting, facing, diametrically opposite, Northern, septentrional, Boreal, arctic, Southern, Austral, antarctic, over, over the way, over against, against, face to face, vis-a- vis, as poles asunder.For further exploring for "opposite" in Webster Dictionary Online