OPPOSITE

opposite, paired

(adjective) of leaves etc; growing in pairs on either side of a stem; “opposite leaves”

diametric, diametrical, opposite, polar

(adjective) characterized by opposite extremes; completely opposed; “in diametric contradiction to his claims”; “diametrical (or opposite) points of view”; “opposite meanings”; “extreme and indefensible polar positions”

opposite

(adjective) altogether different in nature or quality or significance; “the medicine’s effect was opposite to that intended”; “it is said that opposite characters make a union happiest”- Charles Reade

opposite

(adjective) the other one of a complementary pair; “the opposite sex”; “the two chess kings are set up on squares of opposite colors”

opposite

(adjective) being directly across from each other; facing; “And I on the opposite shore will be, ready to ride and spread the alarm”- Longfellow; “we lived on opposite sides of the street”; “at opposite poles”

opposite

(adjective) moving or facing away from each other; “looking in opposite directions”; “they went in opposite directions”

opposite, face to face, face-to-face

(adverb) directly facing each other; “the two photographs lay face-to-face on the table”; “lived all their lives in houses face-to-face across the street”; “they sat opposite at the table”

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; “to him the antonym of ‘gay’ was ‘depressed’”

opposition, opponent, opposite

(noun) a contestant that you are matched against

reverse, contrary, opposite

(noun) a relation of direct opposition; “we thought Sue was older than Bill but just the reverse was true”

inverse, opposite

(noun) something inverted in sequence or character or effect; “when the direct approach failed he tried the inverse”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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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

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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

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