Definitions for opposition
ˌɒp əˈzɪʃ ənop·po·si·tion

Princeton's WordNet(2.75 / 8 votes)Rate this definition:

1. resistance, oppositionnoun

   the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with

   "he encountered a general feeling of resistance from many citizens"; "despite opposition from the newspapers he went ahead"

2. opposition, oppositenessnoun

   the relation between opposed entities

3. confrontation, oppositionnoun

   the act of hostile groups opposing each other

   "the government was not ready for a confrontation with the unions"; "the invaders encountered stiff opposition"

4. opposition, opponent, oppositenoun

   a contestant that you are matched against

5. oppositionnoun

   a body of people united in opposing something

6. oppositionnoun

   a direction opposite to another

7. enemy, foe, foeman, oppositionnoun

   an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)

   "a soldier must be prepared to kill his enemies"

8. Oppositionnoun

   the major political party opposed to the party in office and prepared to replace it if elected

   "Her Majesty's loyal opposition"

Wiktionary(3.50 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. oppositionnoun

   The action of opposing or of being in conflict.

2. oppositionnoun

   An opposite or contrasting position.

3. oppositionnoun

   An opponent in some form of competition.

4. oppositionnoun

   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. oppositionnoun

   A political party opposed to the party or government in power.

6. oppositionnoun

   In United States intellectual property law, a proceeding in which an interested party seeks to prevent the registration of a trademark or patent.

7. oppositionnoun

   A position in which the player on the move must yield with his king allowing his opponent to advance with his own king.

8. Etymology: From oposicion (whence opposition), from oppositio (translating Greek ἀντίθεσις), from the past participle stem of classical opponere.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Oppositionnoun

   Etymology: opposition, Fr. oppositio, Lat.

   1. Situation so as to front something opposed.2. Hostile resistance.

   He
   Cry’d oh! and mounted; found no opposition
   From what he look’d for should oppose. William Shakespeare.

   Virtue which breaks thro’ all opposition,
   And all temptation can remove,
   Most shines, and most is acceptable above. John Milton.

   He considers Lausus rescuing his father at the hazard of his own life, as an image of himself when he took Anchises on his shoulders, and bore him safe thro’ the rage of the fire and the opposition of his enemies. John Dryden, Dufresnoy.

   3. Contrariety of affection.

   They who never tried the experiment of a holy life, measure the laws of God not by their intrinsical goodness, but by the reluctancy and opposition which they find in their own hearts. John Tillotson, Serm. 6.

   4. Contrariety of interest; contrariety of measures.5. Contrariety of meaning; diversity of meaning.

   The parts of every true opposition do alway both concern the same subject, and have reference to the same thing, sith otherwise they are but in shew opposite, and not in truth. Richard Hooker, b. v. s. 48.

   Reason can never permit the mind to reject a greater evidence, to embrace what is less evident, nor allow it to entertain probability in opposition to knowledge and certainty. John Locke.

Freebase(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Opposition

   Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state. The title of "Official Opposition" usually goes to the largest of the parties sitting in opposition with its leader being given the title "Leader of the Opposition". In First Past the Post assemblies, where the tendency to gravitate into two major parties or party groupings operates strongly, government and opposition roles can go to the two main groupings serially in alternation. In this context, the opposition forms a recognised, even semi-official "government-in-waiting". Its "opposing" can degenerate into a charade pending the eventual exchange of roles and occupation, or reoccupation, of the Treasury benches. The more proportional a representative system, the greater the likelihood of multiple political parties appearing in the parliamentary debating chamber. Such systems can foster multiple "opposition" parties which may have little in common and minimal desire to form a united bloc opposed to the government of the day.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Opposition

   op-ō-zish′un, n. state of being placed over against: position over against: repugnance: contrariety: contrast: act or action of opposing: resistance: that which opposes: obstacle: (logic) a difference of quantity or quality between two propositions having the same subject and predicate: the party that opposes the ministry or existing administration: (astron.) the situation of heavenly bodies when 180 degrees apart.—n. Opposi′tionist, one who belongs to an opposing party, esp. that opposed to the government. [Opposite.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. opposition

   A celestial body is said to be in opposition to the sun when their longitudes differ 180°, or half the circumference of the heavens.

Matched Categories

1. • Adversary
   • Body
   • Contestant
   • Direction
   • Military
   • Party
   • Relation
   • Resistance

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'opposition' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1072

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'opposition' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2919

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'opposition' in Nouns Frequency: #496

How to pronounce opposition?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say opposition in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of opposition in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of opposition in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of opposition in a Sentence

1. Dan Gainor:

   Obama started feuding with opposition press during the campaign, kicking off reporters from his campaign plane after their outlets endorsed his opponent. Obama then spent his whole presidency attacking media critics -- CNBC, Fox News and Drudge among them -- yet somehow the major media didn't mind.

2. Hong Fincher:

   There's this rhetoric that Communist Party was founded on the basis of gender equality... it's literally enshrined in the Constitution, but the fact is, just looking at the evidence of quite a few years already... the government's movement has been in opposition to furthering women's rights, in opposition to gender equality. I think that the direction is clear now.

3. Azad Rahimov:

   We have no journalists sitting in prison, we have our open, opposition press. We have a lot of different newspapers and magazine opposition, we have open internet. How do we have so many newspapers, if they are all in prison?

4. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro:

   I am proud of the delegation we have in Norway, and I am proud that we are in a constructive dialogue with the Venezuelan opposition.

5. William Blake:

   Opposition is true friendship.

Popularity rank by frequency of use