Word family noun opposition opposite adjective opposed ≠ unopposed opposing opposite verb oppose adverb opposite
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoppositionop‧po‧si‧tion /ˌɒpəˈzɪʃən $ ˌɑːp-/ ●●○ W3 noun 1 AGAINST/OPPOSE[uncountable] strong disagreement with, or protest against, something such as a plan, law, or systemopposition to There was a great deal of opposition to the war.opposition from They face opposition from local residents as well as from environmentalists. He is confident in his ability to overcome all opposition with his personal charm. The proposals have aroused the opposition of teachers. Strong opposition resulted in rejection of the bill. Plans to turn the site into a £600 million leisure complex have met with stiff opposition. Much public opposition to the new law remained. Workers found themselves in opposition to local interests.2 → the opposition3 → in opposition4 [countable, uncountable]AGAINST somebody IN A GAME the people who you are competing against They played well against good opposition.GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?• In this meaning, opposition is usually followed by a singular verb: The opposition was too strong for us.• In British English, you can also use a plural verb: The opposition were too strong for us.5 [countable, uncountable] formal when two things are completely oppositeopposition between the opposition between capitalism and socialismCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesstrong opposition (=disagreement that someone feels strongly)The scheme has met with strong opposition from local people.fierce/intense/stiff opposition (=strong opposition)It is certain that there will be fierce opposition to the changes.violent/vehement opposition (=showing extremely strong angry feelings)The 2,000-strong congress met the violent opposition of left-wingers. There has been vehement opposition from the fishing industry.considerable opposition (=quite a lot of opposition)The development went ahead in spite of considerable opposition.growing/mounting opposition (=opposition that is increasing)There was growing opposition to the war.local oppositionIt took three years to overcome local opposition from environmentalists.widespread opposition (=opposition from many people or in many places)Journalists have reported widespread opposition to the regime.public oppositionPublic opposition has blocked the building of nuclear power stations.organized opposition (=protest that people express by working together in an organized way)The proposal was passed with no organized opposition.verbsface opposition (=experience opposition that has to be dealt with)The proposal faced opposition from road safety campaigners.meet (with) opposition/run into opposition (=face opposition)A new tax would meet a lot of opposition.The Bill ran into opposition in the House of Lords.encounter opposition (=find that there is opposition)The police encountered little opposition, and restored order within the hour.express (your) oppositionParents expressed their opposition to the tests.overcome opposition (=deal with opposition so that it no longer exists)Nothing he said could overcome their opposition.arouse opposition/arouse the opposition of somebody (=make someone feel disagreement)A plan to build on farm land aroused local opposition.opposition comes from somebodyThe strongest opposition came from Republican voters. THESAURUSopposition noun [uncountable] strong disagreement with or protest against somethingOpposition to the proposed scheme was widespread.The plan met with stiff opposition (=strong opposition).objection noun [countable] a reason you give for opposing an idea or planMy main objection is that it will cost too much money.A number of objections were raised.antagonism noun [uncountable] a strong feeling of opposition to something, or dislike for someone, which is shown in your behaviour, and has often existed for a long timehis own antagonism to any form of authorityThere is no antagonism towards tourists on the island.people’s antagonism to communismhostility noun [uncountable] angry remarks or behaviour that show someone opposes something very strongly, or dislikes someone very muchThe announcement was greeted with hostility from some employees.There is a certain amount of hostility towards the police among local people.antipathy noun [uncountable] formal a strong feeling of opposition and dislike for someone or somethinghis fundamental antipathy to capitalismHer long-standing antipathy to Herr Kohl was well-known.Darwin shared Lyell's antipathy to the idea that the same species could appear independently in different areas. Examples from the Corpus
opposition• Opposition to the war grew rapidly.• The team won all their games against local opposition, but lost in the international competition.• The modern militant opposition forces who claim power in the name of the sacred are only replaying that scenario.• All but the extreme nationalist opposition is portrayed as traitorous.• Plans for the new stadium will no doubt face a lot of opposition.• Finding ways of soothing political opposition to the dumping of highly radioactive waste could prove more difficult than solving the scientific problems.• Seles had reached the semi-finals without really facing any serious opposition.• Despite strong opposition, the law was passed.• The strongest opposition is likely to come from supporters of nuclear power, which was cut sharply in the Clinton budget.• The Senate votes of confidence were boycotted by the opposition on the grounds that the legislative role of parliament was being restricted.• Anwar became a symbol for the opposition movement, and his wife, Wan Aziza Ismail, formed Keadilan.• In the last 17 games, the Red Wings have outscored the opposition 36-8.• In practice the opposition was the beneficiary of the parity reform.• But he deludes himself in thinking this reflects support for himself when, in fact, it reflects discomfort with the opposition.• The opposition fought hard, but had no chance of winning.• Thousands of people plan to gather on Sunday to express their opposition to the government's handling of the crisis.• Widespread opposition to the military government led to violence in the streets.in opposition to• In such contexts, the media have minimal opportunity to articulate views in opposition to government policy.• The board adopted its own measure, which will go on the March ballot in opposition to the Kuper initiative.• It does not arise from the old style but in opposition to it.• These urban comedies portrayed a new moral code in opposition to conventional morality.• Also relevant, however, is the manner in which leisure in our society is defined in opposition to work.• They are generally in opposition to white liberals, environmentalists and some gay and lesbian political powers.• And is rote learning necessarily in opposition to discovery learning?• By 1170 further negotiations with Pope Alexander, still in opposition to Frederick, had broken down. 