Opponent

A person who competes against or opposes someone; an adversary.

noun

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Imagine This

Imagine two athletes facing each other on a boxing ring. Each fighter studies the other, waits for the right moment to strike, and tries to outmaneuver their opponent to win the match.

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Sounds Like

uh-POH-nənt

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Looks Like

Looks like 'opposite' with an extra 'n'; shares the same root idea of facing against.

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Remember This

Opponents are common in sports, debates, and any contest. The word comes from Latin opponere, meaning to place against.

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Other Forms

opponentsnoun

oppositionnoun

opposeverb

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Connect With

adversary, rival, challenger, antagonist, foe, competitor

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Note

Do not confuse with 'opposite' (the other side). 'Opponent' refers to a person or entity actively facing you in competition or conflict.

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Study Deeper

Examples

The opponent in the chess match sacrificed a knight to gain a positional advantage.
During the debate, her opponent raised a counterexample to challenge the proposal.

Synonyms

adversaryrivalantagonistchallengerfoe

Antonyms

allysupporterfriend

Etymology

From Latin opponere 'to place against' (ob- 'against' + ponere 'to place'), via Old French into English.

Mnemonic

Oppose + -ent: an opponent is the person who opposes you; remember by thinking 'oppose' plus the suffix '-ent' equals opponent.

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Expurgate

verb

To remove or cleanse a text of offensive or improper passages, especially by editing or censoring.

Prosaic

adjective

Lacking in imagination or creativity; dull and ordinary in style, especially in writing that resembles prose rather than poetry.

Zealot

noun

A person who is fanatically devoted to a religious, political, or other cause; a fanatic.

Similar Words

Related words and words with the same part of speech.

Adversary

noun

An opponent; a foe; an enemy.

Abasement

noun

The act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.

Absurdity

noun

The quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.

Accent

noun

A distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).

Accolade

noun

An honor; a public expression of praise or an award.

Acrimony

noun

Bitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling

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