Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Placed or located directly across from something else or from each other.
  • adjective Facing the other way; moving or tending away from each other.
  • adjective Being the other of two complementary or mutually exclusive things.
  • adjective Altogether different, as in nature, quality, or significance.
  • adjective Sharply contrasting; antithetical.
  • adjective Growing in pairs on either side of a stem.
  • adjective Arranged on the same radius as another part, as stamens and petals.
  • noun One that is opposite or contrary to another.
  • noun An opponent or antagonist.
  • noun An antonym.
  • adverb In an opposite position.
  • preposition Across from or facing.
  • preposition In a complementary dramatic role to.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In gcom., in any complete set of connectors or fans, said of the first and the (n /2+l)th, when n is even.
  • noun In geometry, an opposite point.
  • That forms or is situated in or on the other or further side, end, or boundary of an interval, space, or thing; placed over against or face to face with (another or one another): literally or figuratively: as, the opposite side of the street or square; the opposite door; an opposite angle.
  • Contrary; reverse.
  • Of a totally or radically different nature, quality, or tendency; also (of two persons or things), mutually antagonistic or repugnant; mutually opposed in character or action; contradictory; non-congruent: as, words of opposite meaning; opposite terms.
  • Adverse; opposed; hostile; antagonistic; inimical.
  • In botany: Situated on opposite sides of an axis, as leaves when there are two on one node.
  • Having a position between an organ and the axis on which it is borne, as a stamen when it is opposite a sepal or petal. In both senses opposed to alternate.
  • noun One who opposes or is adverse; an opponent; an adversary; an enemy; an antagonist.
  • noun That which opposes; that which is opposed or is opposite; a complement in characteristic qualities or properties; specifically, as a logical term, anything contrasted with another in any sense.
  • noun [Some modern writers on logic wish to call any two different species of the same genus opposites. This practice has little to recommend it.]

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete One who opposes; an opponent; an antagonist.
  • noun That which is opposed or contrary in character or meaning.
  • noun that which is conspicuously different in most important respects.
  • adjective Placed over against; standing or situated over against or in front; facing; -- often with to.
  • adjective 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; -- also used both to describe two objects with respect to each other.
  • adjective Applied to the other of two things which are entirely different; other
  • adjective Extremely different; inconsistent; contrary; repugnant; antagonistic.
  • adjective Set over against each other, but separated by the whole diameter of the stem, as two leaves at the same node.
  • adjective Placed directly in front of another part or organ, as a stamen which stands before a petal.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Located directly across from something else, or from each other.
  • adjective Facing in the other direction.
  • adjective Of either of two complementary or mutually exclusive things.
  • noun Something opposite or contrary to another.
  • noun An opponent.
  • noun An antonym.
  • noun mathematics An additive inverse.
  • adverb In an opposite position.
  • preposition Facing, or across from.
  • preposition In a complementary role to.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective altogether different in nature or quality or significance
  • adjective of leaves etc; growing in pairs on either side of a stem
  • adjective characterized by opposite extremes; completely opposed
  • noun something inverted in sequence or character or effect

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin oppositus, past participle of oppōnere, oppose; see oppose.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin oppositus, perfect passive participle of oppōnō ("I oppose").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word opposite.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.