Opposition

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /É’pəˈzɪʃən/
• US IPA: /apəˈzɪʃnÌ©/

Origin

From Old French oposicion (whence French opposition), from Late Latin oppositio, translating Ancient Greek ἀντίθεσις, from the past participle stem of classical Latin oppōnere ("to set against").

Full definition of opposition

Noun

1. The action of opposing or of being in conflict.
2. An opposite or contrasting position.
3. An opponent in some form of competition.
• 2013-08-10, Can China clean up fast enough?, That worries the government, which fears that environmental activism could become the foundation for more general political opposition.
4. (astronomy) The apparent relative position of two celestial bodies when one is at an angle of 180 degrees from the other as seen from the Earth.
5. (political)(politics) A political party or movement opposed to the party or government in power.
6. (legal) In United States intellectual property law, a proceeding in which an interested party seeks to prevent the registration of a trademark or patent.
7. (chess) A position in which the player on the move must yield with his king allowing his opponent to advance with his own king.

Antonyms

• apposition