oppositionn.

Brit.

/ˌɒpəˈzɪʃn/, U.S.

/ˌɑpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/

Forms: Middle English epposicioun (transmission error), Middle English oposicion, Middle English oposicioun, Middle English oppocicioun, Middle English oppocioun (transmission error), Middle English opposicioun, Middle English opposisioun, Middle English–1500s opposicion, Middle English–1500s opposycion, Middle English–1500s opposycyon, 1500s opposytion, 1500s oppsition (transmission error), 1500s–1700s oposition, 1500s– opposition; U.S. (nonstandard) 1800s oppersition, 1800s opposishen, 1800s opposishun; Scottish pre-1700 oposition, pre-1700 oppositione, pre-1700 oppositioun, pre-1700 opposityown, pre-1700 1700s– opposition, 1700s opposeetion.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French opposition; Latin opposition-, oppositio.

Etymology: < Middle French, French opposition contrary argument, objection (c1165 in Old French as oposicion ; compare Anglo-Norman opposicioun irrelevant question), position opposite something (late 12th cent.), opposition of two celestial objects (1269–78), (in rhetoric) antithesis (1567), logical opposition of propositions (1721), movement of the hand by which one wards off a fatal blow (1765), antonymy (1921 in the passage translated in quot. 1925 at sense 9a), functional contrast between phonological elements (1931 in Travaux du Cercle Linguistique de Prague 4 311) and its etymon post-classical Latin opposition-, oppositio contradiction (Vetus Latina, Vulgate, translating Greek ἀντίθεσις antithesis n.), (in rhetoric) antithesis (6th cent., translating Greek ἀντίθεσις ), opposition of two celestial objects (from 1120 in British sources), disputation (a1215 in a continental source, from c1410 in British sources) < classical Latin opposit- , past participial stem of oppōnere to set against (see oppone v., oppose v.) + -iō -ion suffix¹. Compare Italian opposizione (1282), Spanish oposición (1288), both in sense 1.The specific senses relating to astronomy ( 1) and rhetoric ( 6a) are recorded earlier than the more general senses in English.

I. Senses relating to physical position.

1. Astrology and Astronomy. The apparent position of two celestial objects when they differ in ecliptic longitude by 180°; esp. the position of a superior planet when in this relation to the sun. Frequently in opposition.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > planet > position of planet > aspect > [noun] > opposition

oppositionc1395

opposite1549

opposal1686

syzygy1715

c1395 G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale 1057 At this opposicioun, Which in the signe shal be of the leoun, As preyeth hire..a flood to brynge.

a1450 (?c1421) J. Lydgate Siege Thebes (Arun.) (1911) 6 (MED) Satourn..was..in thoposicioun Of lucina the mone.

a1500 (a1450) tr. Secreta Secret. (Ashm. 396) (1977) 89 (MED) Beware..in the begynnyng of jorneys, þat þe moone be not in a quartile aspect, oþer in opposicion to the sone.

1594 T. Blundeville Exercises iv. xliv. f. 236^v You shall find the Moone to bee..in an opposition with Saturne.

a1658 J. Cleveland Clievelandi Vindiciæ (1677) 165 The Moon when she is Eclipsed is always in Opposition with the Sun.

1701 J. Swift Disc. Contests Nobles & Commons iii. 37 Pompey and Cæsar, two Stars of such a Magnitude, that their Conjunction was as likely to be Fatal as their Opposition.

1797 Encycl. Brit. II. 508/2 Thus the sun and moon,..or any two planets, may be in conjunction, opposition, or quadrature.

1881 Athenæum No. 2829. 61 The planet was in opposition..on the 27th of December.

1926 H. N. Russell et al. Astron. I. ix. 238 A planet when in opposition is on the meridian about midnight; when in quadrature, about 6 a.m. or 6 p.m.

1985 R. M. Green Spherical Astron. xvii. 420 Near opposition a superior planet describes a ‘loop’ against the stellar background.

†a. gen. Position or placement opposite something. in opposition (to): = opposite prep. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > opposite position > [noun]

opposition?a1425

counterview1590

contrariety1615

opposal1852

face-to-faceness1874

vis-à-visness1887

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 127^v Causez of obliquitee somtyme ar..vse of biholding..to þat partie to which is made þe obliquacioun..opposicioun of a wyndow or of liȝt or of peyntyng to o partie.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 803 Before mine eyes in opposition sits Grim Death my Son and foe.

1839 T. De Quincey Lake Reminiscences in Tait's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 2/2 In one quarter, a little wood..more directly in opposition to the spectator; a few green fields.

1845 J. Stoddart Gram. in Encycl. Metrop. (1847) I. 134/1 When any two visible objects are nearly connected..if one be viewed from the other, it will appear to be placed in opposition.

†b. The action of setting one person against another. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > [noun] > setting against in combat

opposition1604

1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. ii. 132 I meane my Lord the opposition of your person in triall.

c. Zoology. The ability to touch the fingertips with the tip of the thumb belonging to the same hand; the action of this; = opposability n. Cf. oppose v. 8c.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > digit > [noun] > specific quality

opposability1863

opposition1868

macrodactyly1942

macrodactylism1959

1868 Philos. Trans. 1867 (Royal Soc.) 157 361 The imperfect opposition of the thumb of the Cebidæ.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 209 By opposition we mean the power of touching the tips of all the fingers in succession with the tip of the thumb.

1901 E. L. Baldwin & J. M. Baldwin tr. K. Groos Play of Man i. 8 This practice in grasping promotes the opposition of the thumb.

1980 Gray's Anat. (ed. 36) v. 587/2 During opposition of the thumb, the fingers are flexed at their metacarpophalangeal joints.

a. Contrary or hostile argument or action; resistance; dissent, or contradiction; objection. With against or esp. to. in opposition to: in conflict or disagreement with.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > [noun]

contrariositya1340

adversitya1382

champertyc1386

contrariousness1398

thwartingc1430

contrariancec1450

contrariness?1530

withsitting1532

oppugning1535

opposition1548

oppugnation1563

thwartness1577

adverseness1580

crossing1580

breasting1594

antipathy1601

oppugnancy1609

affrontment1611

opposure1611

thortera1614

contrariancya1617

obstancy1616

oppositeness1619

contropposition1621

obstrigillation1623

opposing1624

hostility1632

opposal1638

crossness1641

affront1642

aversion1651

oppugnance1657

shock1664

opponency1727

counteraction1750

antagonism1797

throwing1816

oppositiveness1824

kick1839

variance1842

opposedness1853

againstness1909

hornet1921

adversariness1970

oppositionality1989

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. lxx^v To obeye vs without opposicion, contradiccion or difficultee.

1596 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent (rev. ed.) 539 Of latter yeeres there hath beene some strong opposition.

1610 J. Donne Pseudo-martyr iii. 54 In Firmilianus his Epistle to Cyprian, written in opposition to Stephanus his Epistle.., there appeares more liberty.

1614 Bp. J. Hall Recoll. Treat. 59 Heresie or abuse, if it be gray-headed, deserves sharper opposition.

1663 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders 10 Nature of Aire being to ascend, and when it meets with a sudden opposition it spreads.

1747 Bp. J. Butler Serm. before Lords in Wks. (1874) II. 300 Opposition..to measures which he sees to be necessary, is itself immoral.

1771 O. Goldsmith Hist. Eng. I. 11 They made a brave opposition against the veteran army.

1803 Edwin I. x. 152 That Edwin is no more, the voice of rumour, unstopped by opposition, has long declared.

1837 T. De Quincey Revolt of Tartars in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 104/1 The defile among the hills..in which they anticipated so bloody an opposition from the Cossacks.

1876 J. B. Mozley Serm. preached Univ. of Oxf. x. 240 A life of enmities is greatly in opposition to growth in holiness.

1909 G. Stein Three Lives (1970) 19 Jane had met Anna with sharp resistance, in opposition to her ways.

1945 V. Ferm Encycl. Relig. 541 His [sc. Alexander Oettingen's] social ethics was an opposition against every spiritualistic personal ethic and against any materialistic social physics.

2000 I. Pattison Stranger here Myself (2001) ii. 50 I have never understood opposition to my chosen position in life as a waster.

†b. A fight between two opposing combatants or forces; armed combat. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > armed encounter > [noun]

fightc893

coursec1325

stourc1325

acounterc1330

meetingc1330

setc1330

showera1375

brusha1400

semblya1400

hosting1422

poynyec1425

conflictc1440

militancea1460

grate1460

rencounter1471

chaplea1500

flitea1513

concourse?1520

concursion1533

rescounter1543

spurnc1560

rencontrea1572

discourse1573

action1579

combat1582

opposition1598

do1915

1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. iii. 98 On the gentle Seuerns siedgie banke, In single opposition hand to hand.

1610 J. Selden Duello 2 That single opposition, which the French cal Combate seul à seul,..our English single fight.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. iii. 177 Tilting one at others breast, In opposition bloody.

1655 E. Terry Voy. E.-India 48 Our Charles in this opposition made at her adversary..three hundred seventy and five great Shot.

c. Fencing. The act of applying pressure on an opponent's blade without changing the direction of the initial contact, usually in order to defend the body against a hit.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > actions

buttc1330

overheadc1400

stopc1450

quarter-strokea1456

rabbeta1500

rakea1500

traverse1547

flourish1552

quarter-blow1555

veny1578

alarm1579

venue1591

cut1593

time1594

caricado1595

fincture1595

imbroccata1595

mandritta1595

punta riversa1595

remove1595

stramazon1595

traversa1595

imbrocado1597

passado1597

counter-time1598

foinery1598

canvasado1601

montant1601

punto1601

stock1602

embrocadoc1604

pass1604

stuck1604

stramazo1606

home thrust1622

longee1625

falsify?1635

false1637

traversion1637

canvassa1641

parade1652

flanconade1664

parry1673

fore-stroke1674

allonge1675

contretemps1684

counter1684

disengaging1684

feint1684

passing1687

under-counter1687

stringere1688

stringering1688

tempo1688

volte1688

overlapping1692

repost1692

volt-coupe1692

volting1692

disarm?1700

stamp1705

passade1706

riposte1707

swoop1711

retreat1734

lunge1748

beat1753

disengage1771

disengagement1771

opposition1771

time thrust1771

timing1771

whip1771

shifting1793

one-two1809

one-two-three1809

salute1809

estramazone1820

remise1823

engage1833

engaging1833

risposta1838

lunging1847

moulinet1861

reprise1861

stop-thrust1861

engagement1881

coupé1889

scrape1889

time attack1889

traverse1892

cut-over1897

tac-au-tac riposte1907

flèche1928

replacement1933

punta dritta1961

1771 A. Lonnergan Fencer's Guide iv. 18 This is termed Opposition, and is intended to secure your face from your adversary's point, which would continually touch it..without this Opposition.

1809 J. Roland Amateur of Fencing 77 The old system of Fencing recommends to use the left hand, when you make the flanconade as an opposition to the adversary's blade from the line of your body.

1879 Encycl. Brit. IX. 70/2 In fencing, ‘opposition’ signifies the art of covering the body at the time of delivering a thrust..in order to prevent an antagonist exchanging hits.

1996 N. Evangelista Art & Sci. Fencing 125 After employing a non-resisting parry or two, just when your opponent is expecting another one, throw in an opposition parry to confound him.

1997 W. Gaugler Sci. Fencing iv. 28 These functions of the hand are called oppositions, and their function is to provide protection by closing the line.

d. Politics. in opposition: (of a political party) opposed to the party or parties in government; (of a politician) belonging to a party opposed to the government. Cf. sense 4a.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > [phrase] > in opposition

in opposition1781

1781 G. Selwyn Let. 27 Dec. in 15th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1897) LXII. 553 It would not have entered the head of such farceurs as are in Opposition, or such a desperate rantipole vagabond as our Charles [Fox], to suppose he could create a bouleversement d'état.

1793 E. Burke Observ. Conduct Minority in Wks. (1821) VII. 286 The authors..of the American war, with whom I have acted, both in office and in opposition.

1850 R. W. Emerson Goethe in Representative Men vii. 265 How can he be honored, when..he must sustain with shameless advocacy some bad government, or must bark, all the year round, in opposition?

1895 Westm. Gaz. 15 Aug. 1/2 They are in Opposition and not in office.

1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 967/2 A Liberal father, who belonged to the Opposition at a time when to be in opposition was to be in danger.

1955 Times 13 Aug. 7/2 When..his own Democratic Party was in opposition the People's Party, then in power, deplored their rivals' use of the boycott weapon.

1995 Daily Express 17 Mar. 8/1 He remains..unafraid of expressing views that the party might find unhelpful—his assertion that it would benefit from a period in opposition, for example.

a. A political party (or occasionally parties) in a country, state, etc., opposed to the current party in government of the same country, etc., esp. the largest or most important of such parties; loyal opposition n. (in democratic countries, states, etc.) an opposition holding a position formally established by statute; an opposition claiming to serve the interests of the state, nation, etc., as well as or better than the current party in government.In British political usage sometimes referred to more fully as His (also Her) Majesty's Opposition. This phrase was first used in a Parliamentary debate by J. C. Hobhouse (later Lord Broughton) (see quot. 1826).

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > [noun] > the opposition

opposition1704

out?1744

out-party1817

loyal opposition1992

1704 G. Davenant Let. 15 Aug. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. IV. 244 They who shall form Oppositions hereafter will be thought to be bribed by France.

1744 M. Bishop Life Matthew Bishop 263 There is no Senate without an Opposition, nor no Party of Men without different Opinions.

1817 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 136 Hear, hear, from the Opposition, and laughter from the Ministerial benches.

1826 J. C. Hobhouse Speech 10 Apr. in Hansard Commons 15 135 It was said to be very hard on his majesty's ministers to raise objections to this proposition. For his own part, he thought it was more hard on his majesty's opposition (a laugh) to compel them to take this course.

1882 Cent. Mag. Jan. 439/1 He was the center of a small group of deputies who composed the opposition in the Chamber.

1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 187/1 The Peerage Bill..was attacked, on behalf of the opposition, in a weekly paper called the Plebeian.

1959 B. North & R. North tr. M. Duverger Polit. Parties (ed. 2) ii. iii. 415 In a multi-party system, the oppositions tend naturally to be demagogic.

1992 Time Mag. 28 Sept. 52/3 Volsky's Civic Union could theoretically be viewed as a Russian version of that democratic Western institution the loyal opposition.

b. gen. A group of opponents, adversaries, or competitors.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > [noun] > opponent > body of

opposition1781

1781 J. Moore View Soc. Italy (1790) II. lxvii. 319 Every system of philosophy, like every Minister of Great Britain, has an opposition.

1845 C. M. Kirkland Western Clearings (1846) 27 Some scattered grains of coarse powder from near the touch-hole of the one-pounder that was fired all day by the opposition.

1869 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Gleanings I. 44 In those days the Opposition was not only hungry but desperate.

1977 ‘J. le Carré’ Honourable Schoolboy i. xii. 273 ‘And where, please, is the un-named narcotics agent.’.. ‘Shacked up in a hippy commune north of Katmandu... Bastard joined the opposition.’

1991 Cycle Weekly 27 July 29/1 Abus shackle locks..have been tested by motorbike magazines and they always compare well with the opposition.

5. Chess. A position in which the kings face each other directly, and which obliges one of the players to move his or her king to a disadvantageous position in the next move. Frequently in to take (also gain, have) the opposition.

ΚΠ

1860 G. F. Pardon Handbk. of Chess iii. 36 It is always important to gain the opposition, that is, to play your King opposite to your opponent's King.

1894 J. Mason Princ. Chess 36 The King first moving puts an odd number of squares between himself and his opponent, i.e. he takes the opposition.

1954 H. Golombek Game of Chess 28 The opposition..is of three types, vertical,..horizontal,..and diagonal.

1992 Oxf. Compan. Chess 282/2 To draw the game by maintaining the opposition is to have the defensive opposition.

II. Senses relating to opposing states, ideas, etc.

†6.

a. Rhetoric. A contrary position or argument; a reply to a deposition, proposition, etc.; an objection. Occasionally: a contrast of opinions or arguments. Cf. antithesis n. 2, 3a. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > statement > dissent or disagreement > [noun] > contrary position or argument

oppositionc1425

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iii. 5586 Þer may be made noon opposicioun, Aboue þe grounde ȝif þe body lie, Þat of resoun it mvt putrefie.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Tim. vi. 20 Avoyde..opposicions of science falsly so called.

a1530 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Royal) viii. 1601 Syn he hym [sc. Balliol] cald off Scotland..In hys parlement till appere Tyll this Makduff to mak awnswere..And till ma opposityownys [Nero apposicionnys].

1577 T. Vautrollier tr. M. Luther Comm. Epist. to Galathians (new ed.) f. 137 It containeth this inuincible opposition: that is, if the sinnes of the whole world be in that one man Iesus Christ, then are they not in the world. But if they be not in him, then are they yet in the world.

1657 in J. D. Marwick Rec. Convent. Royal Burghs Scotl. (1878) III. 448 The former oppositionis.

1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Opposition,..in Rhetorick is a figure of Sentence, the same with Objection.

b. A formal oral examination or disputation; = apposition n.¹ Cf. oppose v. 1. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > interrogation > [noun]

areasona1300

opposal?a1439

oppositionc1451

apposalc1470

questionc1485

apposing1530

interrogation1551

posingc1556

interrogatory1827

the mind > attention and judgement > testing > debate, disputation, argument > academic or public disputation > [noun]

oppositionc1451

schoolsc1475

parvis1496

debatec1500

parley1577

probleming1657

tilt1709

responsion1841

c1451 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert (1910) 61 (MED) If men like for to knowe þis mater diffusely, þei may lerne it in a sermon þat I seid at Cambrig þe ȝer be-for myn opposicion.

?c1550 tr. P. Vergil Eng. Hist. (1846) I. ii. 97 Now let us returne to the opposicion of those things which concerne the state of Brittaine.

7. gen.

a. A state of contrast or antithesis; the action of comparing or contrasting one thing to another; † a contrary or opposite quality or state (obsolete). in opposition to: in contrast with.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > [noun]

riot?c1225

contrariositya1340

contrarietyc1380

contrariness1398

contrariousness1398

repugnance?a1425

contrariancec1450

oppositiona1500

contraposition1581

countermatching1587

counterposition1594

antipathy1601

antistrophe1605

thwarting1609

contrariancya1617

antithesis1631

contrast1731

contrastiveness1949

a1500 (a1450) tr. Secreta Secret. (Ashm. 396) (1977) 51 The body is corruptible, and corrupcion happeth therto of opposicion [a1500 Lamb. contrariouste] of complexion and of humours that ben ther-yn.

1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxviii. 173 Oppositions of vertues by way of comparison is their chiefe commendation.

a1629 W. Hinde Faithfull Remonstr. (1641) xxxiii. 105 How great is the opposition betwixt that assembly and this company?

1684 S. E. Answer Remarks upon Dr. H. More 257 Plainness, in opposition to ænigmaticalness.

1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 46 Their Verdure serving as a Ground to the Figures,..improves them by the Opposition it produces.

1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) I. 530 The stellated and radiating forms of it's palms..constitute a very agreeable opposition with the roundness of it's stem.

1843 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters I. 357 What was made above bright by opposition to blue, being underneath made cool and dark by opposition to gold.

1874 J. Parker Paraclete xix. 354 Enmity is set in opposition to love, and carnality in opposition to spiritual-mindedness.

1953 F. Vreede Living Hindu Philos. iv. 27 The opposition of purusha to prakriti represents the complementarity of two universal aspects of reality: ‘essence’ and ‘substance’.

1993 This Mag. Dec. 35/3 When Susan Griffin says culture is our ‘revenge against nature’, she means the culture/nature opposition has left nature holding the shitty end of the stick.

†b. That which is contrary or opposite; that which contrasts or counterbalances. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > [noun] > the opposite of something

contraryc1386

reversec1405

the contraverse1480

nothing less?1520

contrariety1532

negative1532

oppositive1561

different1571

diameter1579

contrariwise1588

opposition1594

counterpoint1599

oppositea1616

other thing1628

antipodes1641

inverse1645

contra1648

contrast1754

converse1786

contrariant1848

antipole1856

obverse1862

antithetic1863

contradictory1874

antipathy-

the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > a counterbalance

counterpoise1594

opposition1594

counterbalance1640

offset1769

set-off1774

equipoise1780

makeweight1787

equilibrant1883

standoff1888

1594 2nd Rep. Dr. Faustus vi. sig. D3 Of necessity then the soule to whom the Lord imputeth not his sin shall liue, for they are immediate oppositions, for the soule that is in ioy wil not come to these troubles, nor that which is in torment cannot.

1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. iv. 13 The purpose you vndertake is dangerous,..and your whole plot too light, for the counterpoyse of so great an opposition .

1703 tr. A. de Courtin Rules Civility (rev. ed.) xvii. 137 The Opposition of the Pleasant Stile, is the dull Burlesque that consists in mean Ironies.

8. Logic. The relation between two propositions which have the same subject and predicate but differ in quantity or quality, or both.For contradictory, contrary, subcontrary, and subaltern opposition, see the first terms.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [noun] > property or relation law relating to

opposition1599

law or principle of identity1846

internal relation1883

law of Clavius1951

dispositionality1964

1599 T. Blundeville Art of Logike 67 (heading) Of the opposition of Modals.

1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica i. xxxiii. 128 True Opposition afore-mentioned is either Contrariety or Contradiction.

1788 T. Reid Aristotle's Logic i. §3. 11 The four kinds of opposition of terms are explained.

a1832 J. Bentham Fragm. Ontol. in Wks. (1843) VIII. 203/2 Subalternation, viz. logical subalternation, opposition, and connexion, or the relation between cause and effect.

1860 W. Thomson Outl. Laws of Thought (ed. 5) 148 Opposition of Judgments is the relation between any two which have the same matter, but a different form.

1896 J. G. Hibben Logic (1905) xv. 128 In the discussion concerning the opposition of propositions, it was seen that the truth of the particular does not imply the truth of the universal.

1962 W. Kneale & M. Kneale Devel. Logic (1984) iv. 182 Galen assumes that disjunctive statements should, properly speaking, involve complete opposition of the disjuncts.

1993 A. Broadie Introd. Medieval Logic (ed. 2) vii. 129 Propositions related by opposition or equipollence have the same categorematic terms in the same order.

9. Linguistics.

a. The state or condition of being opposite in meaning; the relationship between antonyms; antonymy.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > semantics > condition of being opposite in meaning > [noun]

opposition1925

1925 P. Radin tr. J. Vendryes Language iii. iii. 218 Among animal names the same opposition [Fr. opposition] is frequent. Latin had equus and equa... In English horse is apposed to mare.

1963 J. Lyons Struct. Semantics iv. 68 The polarity of a term is a function of its opposition to its antonym, and not vice versa.

1991 Using Corpora (Proc. Conf. UW Centre for New OED) 138 A semantic opposition along a single dimension is the traditional criterion for antonymy..,often with additional semantic constraints.

b. A functional, or potentially functional, contrast between linguistic (esp. phonological) elements.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > [noun] > specific features of linguistic analysis

structuring1890

over-differentiation1921

hypostasis1933

contextualization1934

scatter1934

opposition1936

minimality1953

mapping1955

biuniqueness1959

linearity1959

n-gram1963

meta-condition1972

optionality1972

1936 Amer. Speech 11 110 A ‘phonological system’ is defined as the ensemble of phonological oppositions proper to a given language.

1963 J. Lyons Struct. Semantics iv. 68 In Russian or German..there is an opposition to be recognized, in word-initial and word-medial position, between the voiced and the voiceless plosives.

1993 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics 38 57 Despite the differences between stressed and unstressed final [œ], it is not absolutely necessary to recognize a phonological opposition between the two.

Compounds

C1. General attributive (chiefly in sense 4a).

ΚΠ

1782 ‘P. Pindar’ Lyric Odes to Royal Academicians iii. 41 His muzzle, form'd of opposition stuff Firm as a Foxite, would not lose its ruff.

1789 G. Mason Let. 19 June in G. Washington Papers (1989) Presidential Ser. III. 52 The Opposition-Party brook it very illy.

1801 T. S. Surr Splendid Misery II. 14 Scowling in opposition minorities.

1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. iv. 197 The election of Robert..Count of Paris, as an opposition King.

1888 Daily News 18 Dec. 2/6 Mr. Gladstone, who was received with Opposition cheers, said [etc.].

1904 Shearer (Sydney) 29 Oct. 4/2 The tallies that will be cut at that shed will cause a panic in the opposition camp.

1974 Times 12 June 2/5 Mr Heseltine, Opposition spokesman on trade, said..yesterday [etc.].

1994 Guardian 4 Aug. i. 10 (caption) Ruslan Labazanov, one of Chechenya's main opposition leaders, sits securely among his gunmen near the town of Argun.

C2.

opposition research n. North American Politics investigation into the dealings of political opponents, esp. in order to discredit them publicly.

ΚΠ

1971 N.Y. Times 19 Dec. 26/4 An article appeared in a Washington newspaper describing the ‘opposition research’ program at Republican headquarters.

1996 Time 26 Feb. 36/2 To define who Alexander is..they have been collecting ‘opposition research’ on him for months, and are wielding it, in ads and speeches as well as leaks to reporters.

2002 Chicago Tribune 18 Mar. ii. 5/2 The cockroach's groundbreaking work on assessing risk leads him to perform opposition research on Herbert Hoover for Franklin Roosevelt.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	opposition
释义	oppositionn. Brit. /ˌɒpəˈzɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌɑpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/ Forms: Middle English epposicioun (transmission error), Middle English oposicion, Middle English oposicioun, Middle English oppocicioun, Middle English oppocioun (transmission error), Middle English opposicioun, Middle English opposisioun, Middle English–1500s opposicion, Middle English–1500s opposycion, Middle English–1500s opposycyon, 1500s opposytion, 1500s oppsition (transmission error), 1500s–1700s oposition, 1500s– opposition; U.S. (nonstandard) 1800s oppersition, 1800s opposishen, 1800s opposishun; Scottish pre-1700 oposition, pre-1700 oppositione, pre-1700 oppositioun, pre-1700 opposityown, pre-1700 1700s– opposition, 1700s opposeetion. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French opposition; Latin opposition-, oppositio. Etymology: < Middle French, French opposition contrary argument, objection (c1165 in Old French as oposicion ; compare Anglo-Norman opposicioun irrelevant question), position opposite something (late 12th cent.), opposition of two celestial objects (1269–78), (in rhetoric) antithesis (1567), logical opposition of propositions (1721), movement of the hand by which one wards off a fatal blow (1765), antonymy (1921 in the passage translated in quot. 1925 at sense 9a), functional contrast between phonological elements (1931 in Travaux du Cercle Linguistique de Prague 4 311) and its etymon post-classical Latin opposition-, oppositio contradiction (Vetus Latina, Vulgate, translating Greek ἀντίθεσις antithesis n.), (in rhetoric) antithesis (6th cent., translating Greek ἀντίθεσις ), opposition of two celestial objects (from 1120 in British sources), disputation (a1215 in a continental source, from c1410 in British sources) < classical Latin opposit- , past participial stem of oppōnere to set against (see oppone v., oppose v.) + -iō -ion suffix¹. Compare Italian opposizione (1282), Spanish oposición (1288), both in sense 1.The specific senses relating to astronomy ( 1) and rhetoric ( 6a) are recorded earlier than the more general senses in English. I. Senses relating to physical position. 1. Astrology and Astronomy. The apparent position of two celestial objects when they differ in ecliptic longitude by 180°; esp. the position of a superior planet when in this relation to the sun. Frequently in opposition. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > planet > position of planet > aspect > [noun] > opposition oppositionc1395 opposite1549 opposal1686 syzygy1715 c1395 G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale 1057 At this opposicioun, Which in the signe shal be of the leoun, As preyeth hire..a flood to brynge. a1450 (?c1421) J. Lydgate Siege Thebes (Arun.) (1911) 6 (MED) Satourn..was..in thoposicioun Of lucina the mone. a1500 (a1450) tr. Secreta Secret. (Ashm. 396) (1977) 89 (MED) Beware..in the begynnyng of jorneys, þat þe moone be not in a quartile aspect, oþer in opposicion to the sone. 1594 T. Blundeville Exercises iv. xliv. f. 236^v You shall find the Moone to bee..in an opposition with Saturne. a1658 J. Cleveland Clievelandi Vindiciæ (1677) 165 The Moon when she is Eclipsed is always in Opposition with the Sun. 1701 J. Swift Disc. Contests Nobles & Commons iii. 37 Pompey and Cæsar, two Stars of such a Magnitude, that their Conjunction was as likely to be Fatal as their Opposition. 1797 Encycl. Brit. II. 508/2 Thus the sun and moon,..or any two planets, may be in conjunction, opposition, or quadrature. 1881 Athenæum No. 2829. 61 The planet was in opposition..on the 27th of December. 1926 H. N. Russell et al. Astron. I. ix. 238 A planet when in opposition is on the meridian about midnight; when in quadrature, about 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. 1985 R. M. Green Spherical Astron. xvii. 420 Near opposition a superior planet describes a ‘loop’ against the stellar background. 2. †a. gen. Position or placement opposite something. in opposition (to): = opposite prep. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > opposite position > [noun] opposition?a1425 counterview1590 contrariety1615 opposal1852 face-to-faceness1874 vis-à-visness1887 ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 127^v Causez of obliquitee somtyme ar..vse of biholding..to þat partie to which is made þe obliquacioun..opposicioun of a wyndow or of liȝt or of peyntyng to o partie. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 803 Before mine eyes in opposition sits Grim Death my Son and foe. View more context for this quotation 1839 T. De Quincey Lake Reminiscences in Tait's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 2/2 In one quarter, a little wood..more directly in opposition to the spectator; a few green fields. 1845 J. Stoddart Gram. in Encycl. Metrop. (1847) I. 134/1 When any two visible objects are nearly connected..if one be viewed from the other, it will appear to be placed in opposition. †b. The action of setting one person against another. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > [noun] > setting against in combat opposition1604 1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. ii. 132 I meane my Lord the opposition of your person in triall. View more context for this quotation c. Zoology. The ability to touch the fingertips with the tip of the thumb belonging to the same hand; the action of this; = opposability n. Cf. oppose v. 8c. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > digit > [noun] > specific quality opposability1863 opposition1868 macrodactyly1942 macrodactylism1959 1868 Philos. Trans. 1867 (Royal Soc.) 157 361 The imperfect opposition of the thumb of the Cebidæ. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 209 By opposition we mean the power of touching the tips of all the fingers in succession with the tip of the thumb. 1901 E. L. Baldwin & J. M. Baldwin tr. K. Groos Play of Man i. 8 This practice in grasping promotes the opposition of the thumb. 1980 Gray's Anat. (ed. 36) v. 587/2 During opposition of the thumb, the fingers are flexed at their metacarpophalangeal joints. 3. a. Contrary or hostile argument or action; resistance; dissent, or contradiction; objection. With against or esp. to. in opposition to: in conflict or disagreement with. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > [noun] contrariositya1340 adversitya1382 champertyc1386 contrariousness1398 thwartingc1430 contrariancec1450 contrariness?1530 withsitting1532 oppugning1535 opposition1548 oppugnation1563 thwartness1577 adverseness1580 crossing1580 breasting1594 antipathy1601 oppugnancy1609 affrontment1611 opposure1611 thortera1614 contrariancya1617 obstancy1616 oppositeness1619 contropposition1621 obstrigillation1623 opposing1624 hostility1632 opposal1638 crossness1641 affront1642 aversion1651 oppugnance1657 shock1664 opponency1727 counteraction1750 antagonism1797 throwing1816 oppositiveness1824 kick1839 variance1842 opposedness1853 againstness1909 hornet1921 adversariness1970 oppositionality1989 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. lxx^v To obeye vs without opposicion, contradiccion or difficultee. 1596 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent (rev. ed.) 539 Of latter yeeres there hath beene some strong opposition. 1610 J. Donne Pseudo-martyr iii. 54 In Firmilianus his Epistle to Cyprian, written in opposition to Stephanus his Epistle.., there appeares more liberty. 1614 Bp. J. Hall Recoll. Treat. 59 Heresie or abuse, if it be gray-headed, deserves sharper opposition. 1663 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders 10 Nature of Aire being to ascend, and when it meets with a sudden opposition it spreads. 1747 Bp. J. Butler Serm. before Lords in Wks. (1874) II. 300 Opposition..to measures which he sees to be necessary, is itself immoral. 1771 O. Goldsmith Hist. Eng. I. 11 They made a brave opposition against the veteran army. 1803 Edwin I. x. 152 That Edwin is no more, the voice of rumour, unstopped by opposition, has long declared. 1837 T. De Quincey Revolt of Tartars in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 104/1 The defile among the hills..in which they anticipated so bloody an opposition from the Cossacks. 1876 J. B. Mozley Serm. preached Univ. of Oxf. x. 240 A life of enmities is greatly in opposition to growth in holiness. 1909 G. Stein Three Lives (1970) 19 Jane had met Anna with sharp resistance, in opposition to her ways. 1945 V. Ferm Encycl. Relig. 541 His [sc. Alexander Oettingen's] social ethics was an opposition against every spiritualistic personal ethic and against any materialistic social physics. 2000 I. Pattison Stranger here Myself (2001) ii. 50 I have never understood opposition to my chosen position in life as a waster. †b. A fight between two opposing combatants or forces; armed combat. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > armed encounter > [noun] fightc893 coursec1325 stourc1325 acounterc1330 meetingc1330 setc1330 showera1375 brusha1400 semblya1400 hosting1422 poynyec1425 conflictc1440 militancea1460 grate1460 rencounter1471 chaplea1500 flitea1513 concourse?1520 concursion1533 rescounter1543 spurnc1560 rencontrea1572 discourse1573 action1579 combat1582 opposition1598 do1915 1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. iii. 98 On the gentle Seuerns siedgie banke, In single opposition hand to hand. View more context for this quotation 1610 J. Selden Duello 2 That single opposition, which the French cal Combate seul à seul,..our English single fight. a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. iii. 177 Tilting one at others breast, In opposition bloody. View more context for this quotation 1655 E. Terry Voy. E.-India 48 Our Charles in this opposition made at her adversary..three hundred seventy and five great Shot. c. Fencing. The act of applying pressure on an opponent's blade without changing the direction of the initial contact, usually in order to defend the body against a hit. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > actions buttc1330 overheadc1400 stopc1450 quarter-strokea1456 rabbeta1500 rakea1500 traverse1547 flourish1552 quarter-blow1555 veny1578 alarm1579 venue1591 cut1593 time1594 caricado1595 fincture1595 imbroccata1595 mandritta1595 punta riversa1595 remove1595 stramazon1595 traversa1595 imbrocado1597 passado1597 counter-time1598 foinery1598 canvasado1601 montant1601 punto1601 stock1602 embrocadoc1604 pass1604 stuck1604 stramazo1606 home thrust1622 longee1625 falsify?1635 false1637 traversion1637 canvassa1641 parade1652 flanconade1664 parry1673 fore-stroke1674 allonge1675 contretemps1684 counter1684 disengaging1684 feint1684 passing1687 under-counter1687 stringere1688 stringering1688 tempo1688 volte1688 overlapping1692 repost1692 volt-coupe1692 volting1692 disarm?1700 stamp1705 passade1706 riposte1707 swoop1711 retreat1734 lunge1748 beat1753 disengage1771 disengagement1771 opposition1771 time thrust1771 timing1771 whip1771 shifting1793 one-two1809 one-two-three1809 salute1809 estramazone1820 remise1823 engage1833 engaging1833 risposta1838 lunging1847 moulinet1861 reprise1861 stop-thrust1861 engagement1881 coupé1889 scrape1889 time attack1889 traverse1892 cut-over1897 tac-au-tac riposte1907 flèche1928 replacement1933 punta dritta1961 1771 A. Lonnergan Fencer's Guide iv. 18 This is termed Opposition, and is intended to secure your face from your adversary's point, which would continually touch it..without this Opposition. 1809 J. Roland Amateur of Fencing 77 The old system of Fencing recommends to use the left hand, when you make the flanconade as an opposition to the adversary's blade from the line of your body. 1879 Encycl. Brit. IX. 70/2 In fencing, ‘opposition’ signifies the art of covering the body at the time of delivering a thrust..in order to prevent an antagonist exchanging hits. 1996 N. Evangelista Art & Sci. Fencing 125 After employing a non-resisting parry or two, just when your opponent is expecting another one, throw in an opposition parry to confound him. 1997 W. Gaugler Sci. Fencing iv. 28 These functions of the hand are called oppositions, and their function is to provide protection by closing the line. d. Politics. in opposition: (of a political party) opposed to the party or parties in government; (of a politician) belonging to a party opposed to the government. Cf. sense 4a. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > [phrase] > in opposition in opposition1781 1781 G. Selwyn Let. 27 Dec. in 15th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1897) LXII. 553 It would not have entered the head of such farceurs as are in Opposition, or such a desperate rantipole vagabond as our Charles [Fox], to suppose he could create a bouleversement d'état. 1793 E. Burke Observ. Conduct Minority in Wks. (1821) VII. 286 The authors..of the American war, with whom I have acted, both in office and in opposition. 1850 R. W. Emerson Goethe in Representative Men vii. 265 How can he be honored, when..he must sustain with shameless advocacy some bad government, or must bark, all the year round, in opposition? 1895 Westm. Gaz. 15 Aug. 1/2 They are in Opposition and not in office. 1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 967/2 A Liberal father, who belonged to the Opposition at a time when to be in opposition was to be in danger. 1955 Times 13 Aug. 7/2 When..his own Democratic Party was in opposition the People's Party, then in power, deplored their rivals' use of the boycott weapon. 1995 Daily Express 17 Mar. 8/1 He remains..unafraid of expressing views that the party might find unhelpful—his assertion that it would benefit from a period in opposition, for example. 4. a. A political party (or occasionally parties) in a country, state, etc., opposed to the current party in government of the same country, etc., esp. the largest or most important of such parties; loyal opposition n. (in democratic countries, states, etc.) an opposition holding a position formally established by statute; an opposition claiming to serve the interests of the state, nation, etc., as well as or better than the current party in government.In British political usage sometimes referred to more fully as His (also Her) Majesty's Opposition. This phrase was first used in a Parliamentary debate by J. C. Hobhouse (later Lord Broughton) (see quot. 1826). ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > [noun] > the opposition opposition1704 out?1744 out-party1817 loyal opposition1992 1704 G. Davenant Let. 15 Aug. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. IV. 244 They who shall form Oppositions hereafter will be thought to be bribed by France. 1744 M. Bishop Life Matthew Bishop 263 There is no Senate without an Opposition, nor no Party of Men without different Opinions. 1817 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 136 Hear, hear, from the Opposition, and laughter from the Ministerial benches. 1826 J. C. Hobhouse Speech 10 Apr. in Hansard Commons 15 135 It was said to be very hard on his majesty's ministers to raise objections to this proposition. For his own part, he thought it was more hard on his majesty's opposition (a laugh) to compel them to take this course. 1882 Cent. Mag. Jan. 439/1 He was the center of a small group of deputies who composed the opposition in the Chamber. 1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 187/1 The Peerage Bill..was attacked, on behalf of the opposition, in a weekly paper called the Plebeian. 1959 B. North & R. North tr. M. Duverger Polit. Parties (ed. 2) ii. iii. 415 In a multi-party system, the oppositions tend naturally to be demagogic. 1992 Time Mag. 28 Sept. 52/3 Volsky's Civic Union could theoretically be viewed as a Russian version of that democratic Western institution the loyal opposition. b. gen. A group of opponents, adversaries, or competitors. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > [noun] > opponent > body of opposition1781 1781 J. Moore View Soc. Italy (1790) II. lxvii. 319 Every system of philosophy, like every Minister of Great Britain, has an opposition. 1845 C. M. Kirkland Western Clearings (1846) 27 Some scattered grains of coarse powder from near the touch-hole of the one-pounder that was fired all day by the opposition. 1869 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Gleanings I. 44 In those days the Opposition was not only hungry but desperate. 1977 ‘J. le Carré’ Honourable Schoolboy i. xii. 273 ‘And where, please, is the un-named narcotics agent.’.. ‘Shacked up in a hippy commune north of Katmandu... Bastard joined the opposition.’ 1991 Cycle Weekly 27 July 29/1 Abus shackle locks..have been tested by motorbike magazines and they always compare well with the opposition. 5. Chess. A position in which the kings face each other directly, and which obliges one of the players to move his or her king to a disadvantageous position in the next move. Frequently in to take (also gain, have) the opposition. ΚΠ 1860 G. F. Pardon Handbk. of Chess iii. 36 It is always important to gain the opposition, that is, to play your King opposite to your opponent's King. 1894 J. Mason Princ. Chess 36 The King first moving puts an odd number of squares between himself and his opponent, i.e. he takes the opposition. 1954 H. Golombek Game of Chess 28 The opposition..is of three types, vertical,..horizontal,..and diagonal. 1992 Oxf. Compan. Chess 282/2 To draw the game by maintaining the opposition is to have the defensive opposition. II. Senses relating to opposing states, ideas, etc. †6. a. Rhetoric. A contrary position or argument; a reply to a deposition, proposition, etc.; an objection. Occasionally: a contrast of opinions or arguments. Cf. antithesis n. 2, 3a. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > statement > dissent or disagreement > [noun] > contrary position or argument oppositionc1425 c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iii. 5586 Þer may be made noon opposicioun, Aboue þe grounde ȝif þe body lie, Þat of resoun it mvt putrefie. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Tim. vi. 20 Avoyde..opposicions of science falsly so called. a1530 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Royal) viii. 1601 Syn he hym [sc. Balliol] cald off Scotland..In hys parlement till appere Tyll this Makduff to mak awnswere..And till ma opposityownys [Nero apposicionnys]. 1577 T. Vautrollier tr. M. Luther Comm. Epist. to Galathians (new ed.) f. 137 It containeth this inuincible opposition: that is, if the sinnes of the whole world be in that one man Iesus Christ, then are they not in the world. But if they be not in him, then are they yet in the world. 1657 in J. D. Marwick Rec. Convent. Royal Burghs Scotl. (1878) III. 448 The former oppositionis. 1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Opposition,..in Rhetorick is a figure of Sentence, the same with Objection. b. A formal oral examination or disputation; = apposition n.¹ Cf. oppose v. 1. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > interrogation > [noun] areasona1300 opposal?a1439 oppositionc1451 apposalc1470 questionc1485 apposing1530 interrogation1551 posingc1556 interrogatory1827 the mind > attention and judgement > testing > debate, disputation, argument > academic or public disputation > [noun] oppositionc1451 schoolsc1475 parvis1496 debatec1500 parley1577 probleming1657 tilt1709 responsion1841 c1451 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert (1910) 61 (MED) If men like for to knowe þis mater diffusely, þei may lerne it in a sermon þat I seid at Cambrig þe ȝer be-for myn opposicion. ?c1550 tr. P. Vergil Eng. Hist. (1846) I. ii. 97 Now let us returne to the opposicion of those things which concerne the state of Brittaine. 7. gen. a. A state of contrast or antithesis; the action of comparing or contrasting one thing to another; † a contrary or opposite quality or state (obsolete). in opposition to: in contrast with. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > [noun] riot?c1225 contrariositya1340 contrarietyc1380 contrariness1398 contrariousness1398 repugnance?a1425 contrariancec1450 oppositiona1500 contraposition1581 countermatching1587 counterposition1594 antipathy1601 antistrophe1605 thwarting1609 contrariancya1617 antithesis1631 contrast1731 contrastiveness1949 a1500 (a1450) tr. Secreta Secret. (Ashm. 396) (1977) 51 The body is corruptible, and corrupcion happeth therto of opposicion [a1500 Lamb. contrariouste] of complexion and of humours that ben ther-yn. 1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxviii. 173 Oppositions of vertues by way of comparison is their chiefe commendation. a1629 W. Hinde Faithfull Remonstr. (1641) xxxiii. 105 How great is the opposition betwixt that assembly and this company? 1684 S. E. Answer Remarks upon Dr. H. More 257 Plainness, in opposition to ænigmaticalness. 1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 46 Their Verdure serving as a Ground to the Figures,..improves them by the Opposition it produces. 1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) I. 530 The stellated and radiating forms of it's palms..constitute a very agreeable opposition with the roundness of it's stem. 1843 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters I. 357 What was made above bright by opposition to blue, being underneath made cool and dark by opposition to gold. 1874 J. Parker Paraclete xix. 354 Enmity is set in opposition to love, and carnality in opposition to spiritual-mindedness. 1953 F. Vreede Living Hindu Philos. iv. 27 The opposition of purusha to prakriti represents the complementarity of two universal aspects of reality: ‘essence’ and ‘substance’. 1993 This Mag. Dec. 35/3 When Susan Griffin says culture is our ‘revenge against nature’, she means the culture/nature opposition has left nature holding the shitty end of the stick. †b. That which is contrary or opposite; that which contrasts or counterbalances. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > [noun] > the opposite of something contraryc1386 reversec1405 the contraverse1480 nothing less?1520 contrariety1532 negative1532 oppositive1561 different1571 diameter1579 contrariwise1588 opposition1594 counterpoint1599 oppositea1616 other thing1628 antipodes1641 inverse1645 contra1648 contrast1754 converse1786 contrariant1848 antipole1856 obverse1862 antithetic1863 contradictory1874 antipathy- the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > [noun] > a counterbalance counterpoise1594 opposition1594 counterbalance1640 offset1769 set-off1774 equipoise1780 makeweight1787 equilibrant1883 standoff1888 1594 2nd Rep. Dr. Faustus vi. sig. D3 Of necessity then the soule to whom the Lord imputeth not his sin shall liue, for they are immediate oppositions, for the soule that is in ioy wil not come to these troubles, nor that which is in torment cannot. 1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. iv. 13 The purpose you vndertake is dangerous,..and your whole plot too light, for the counterpoyse of so great an opposition . View more context for this quotation 1703 tr. A. de Courtin Rules Civility (rev. ed.) xvii. 137 The Opposition of the Pleasant Stile, is the dull Burlesque that consists in mean Ironies. 8. Logic. The relation between two propositions which have the same subject and predicate but differ in quantity or quality, or both.For contradictory, contrary, subcontrary, and subaltern opposition, see the first terms. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical proposition > [noun] > property or relation law relating to opposition1599 law or principle of identity1846 internal relation1883 law of Clavius1951 dispositionality1964 1599 T. Blundeville Art of Logike 67 (heading) Of the opposition of Modals. 1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica i. xxxiii. 128 True Opposition afore-mentioned is either Contrariety or Contradiction. 1788 T. Reid Aristotle's Logic i. §3. 11 The four kinds of opposition of terms are explained. a1832 J. Bentham Fragm. Ontol. in Wks. (1843) VIII. 203/2 Subalternation, viz. logical subalternation, opposition, and connexion, or the relation between cause and effect. 1860 W. Thomson Outl. Laws of Thought (ed. 5) 148 Opposition of Judgments is the relation between any two which have the same matter, but a different form. 1896 J. G. Hibben Logic (1905) xv. 128 In the discussion concerning the opposition of propositions, it was seen that the truth of the particular does not imply the truth of the universal. 1962 W. Kneale & M. Kneale Devel. Logic (1984) iv. 182 Galen assumes that disjunctive statements should, properly speaking, involve complete opposition of the disjuncts. 1993 A. Broadie Introd. Medieval Logic (ed. 2) vii. 129 Propositions related by opposition or equipollence have the same categorematic terms in the same order. 9. Linguistics. a. The state or condition of being opposite in meaning; the relationship between antonyms; antonymy. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > semantics > condition of being opposite in meaning > [noun] opposition1925 1925 P. Radin tr. J. Vendryes Language iii. iii. 218 Among animal names the same opposition [Fr. opposition] is frequent. Latin had equus and equa... In English horse is apposed to mare. 1963 J. Lyons Struct. Semantics iv. 68 The polarity of a term is a function of its opposition to its antonym, and not vice versa. 1991 Using Corpora (Proc. Conf. UW Centre for New OED) 138 A semantic opposition along a single dimension is the traditional criterion for antonymy..,often with additional semantic constraints. b. A functional, or potentially functional, contrast between linguistic (esp. phonological) elements. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > [noun] > specific features of linguistic analysis structuring1890 over-differentiation1921 hypostasis1933 contextualization1934 scatter1934 opposition1936 minimality1953 mapping1955 biuniqueness1959 linearity1959 n-gram1963 meta-condition1972 optionality1972 1936 Amer. Speech 11 110 A ‘phonological system’ is defined as the ensemble of phonological oppositions proper to a given language. 1963 J. Lyons Struct. Semantics iv. 68 In Russian or German..there is an opposition to be recognized, in word-initial and word-medial position, between the voiced and the voiceless plosives. 1993 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics 38 57 Despite the differences between stressed and unstressed final [œ], it is not absolutely necessary to recognize a phonological opposition between the two. Compounds C1. General attributive (chiefly in sense 4a). ΚΠ 1782 ‘P. Pindar’ Lyric Odes to Royal Academicians iii. 41 His muzzle, form'd of opposition stuff Firm as a Foxite, would not lose its ruff. 1789 G. Mason Let. 19 June in G. Washington Papers (1989) Presidential Ser. III. 52 The Opposition-Party brook it very illy. 1801 T. S. Surr Splendid Misery II. 14 Scowling in opposition minorities. 1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. iv. 197 The election of Robert..Count of Paris, as an opposition King. 1888 Daily News 18 Dec. 2/6 Mr. Gladstone, who was received with Opposition cheers, said [etc.]. 1904 Shearer (Sydney) 29 Oct. 4/2 The tallies that will be cut at that shed will cause a panic in the opposition camp. 1974 Times 12 June 2/5 Mr Heseltine, Opposition spokesman on trade, said..yesterday [etc.]. 1994 Guardian 4 Aug. i. 10 (caption) Ruslan Labazanov, one of Chechenya's main opposition leaders, sits securely among his gunmen near the town of Argun. C2. opposition research n. North American Politics investigation into the dealings of political opponents, esp. in order to discredit them publicly. ΚΠ 1971 N.Y. Times 19 Dec. 26/4 An article appeared in a Washington newspaper describing the ‘opposition research’ program at Republican headquarters. 1996 Time 26 Feb. 36/2 To define who Alexander is..they have been collecting ‘opposition research’ on him for months, and are wielding it, in ads and speeches as well as leaks to reporters. 2002 Chicago Tribune 18 Mar. ii. 5/2 The cockroach's groundbreaking work on assessing risk leads him to perform opposition research on Herbert Hoover for Franklin Roosevelt. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.c1395
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