OPPOSITE
opposite, paired
(adjective) of leaves etc; growing in pairs on either side of a stem; âopposite leavesâ
diametric, diametrical, opposite, polar
(adjective) characterized by opposite extremes; completely opposed; âin diametric contradiction to his claimsâ; âdiametrical (or opposite) points of viewâ; âopposite meaningsâ; âextreme and indefensible polar positionsâ
opposite
(adjective) altogether different in nature or quality or significance; âthe medicineâs effect was opposite to that intendedâ; âit is said that opposite characters make a union happiestâ- Charles Reade
opposite
(adjective) the other one of a complementary pair; âthe opposite sexâ; âthe two chess kings are set up on squares of opposite colorsâ
opposite
(adjective) being directly across from each other; facing; âAnd I on the opposite shore will be, ready to ride and spread the alarmâ- Longfellow; âwe lived on opposite sides of the streetâ; âat opposite polesâ
opposite
(adjective) moving or facing away from each other; âlooking in opposite directionsâ; âthey went in opposite directionsâ
opposite, face to face, face-to-face
(adverb) directly facing each other; âthe two photographs lay face-to-face on the tableâ; âlived all their lives in houses face-to-face across the streetâ; âthey sat opposite at the tableâ
antonym, opposite word, opposite
(noun) a word that expresses a meaning opposed to the meaning of another word, in which case the two words are antonyms of each other; âto him the antonym of âgayâ was âdepressedââ
opposition, opponent, opposite
(noun) a contestant that you are matched against
reverse, contrary, opposite
(noun) a relation of direct opposition; âwe thought Sue was older than Bill but just the reverse was trueâ
inverse, opposite
(noun) something inverted in sequence or character or effect; âwhen the direct approach failed he tried the inverseâ
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
opposite (not comparable)
Located directly across from something else, or from each other.
(botany) Of leaves and flowers, positioned directly across from each other on a stem.
Facing in the other direction.
Of either of two complementary or mutually exclusive things.
Extremely different; inconsistent; contrary; repugnant; antagonistic.
Noun
opposite (plural opposites)
Something opposite or contrary to something else.
An opponent.
An antonym.
(mathematics) An additive inverse.
Adverb
opposite (not comparable)
In an opposite position.
Preposition
opposite
Facing, or across from.
In a complementary role to.
(television) On another channel at the same time.
Source: Wiktionary
Op"po*site, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. oppositus, p. p. of opponere. See
Opponent.]
1. Placed over against; standing or situated over against or in
front; facing; -- often with to; as, a house opposite to the
Exchange.
2. Applied to the other of two things which are entirely different;
other; as, the opposite sex; the opposite extreme.
3. Extremely different; inconsistent; contrary; repugnant;
antagonistic.
Novels, by which the reader is misled into another sort of pieasure
opposite to that which is designed in an epic poem. Dryden.
Particles of speech have divers, and sometimes almost opposite,
significations. Locke.
4. (Bot.)
(a) Set over against each other, but separated by the whole diameter
of the stem, as two leaves at the same node.
(b) Placed directly in front of another part or organ, as a stamen
which stands before a petal.
Op"po*site, n.
1. One who opposes; an opponent; an antagonist. [Obs.]
The opposites of this day's strife. Shak.
2. That which is opposed or contrary; as, sweetness and its opposite.
The virtuous man meets with more opposites and opponents than any
other. Landor.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition