1350–1400; < Latin oppositiōn- (stem of oppositiō), equivalent to opposit(us) (see opposite) + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English opposicioun < Old French opposicion < Latin as above
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| elegance -- used chiefly of literary style |
| being essential or happening by necessity, not free or voluntary |
| opposition (ˌɒpəˈzɪʃən) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | the act of opposing or the state of being opposed |
| 2. | hostility, unfriendliness, or antagonism |
| 3. | a person or group antagonistic or opposite in aims to another |
| 4. | a. the opposition a political party or group opposed to the ruling party or government |
| b. (capital as part of a name, esp in Britain and other Commonwealth countries): Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition | |
| c. in opposition (of a political party) opposing the government | |
| 5. | a position facing or opposite another |
| 6. | the act of placing something facing or opposite something else |
| 7. | something that acts as an obstacle to some course or progress |
| 8. | astronomy |
| a. the position of an outer planet or the moon when it is in line or nearly in line with the earth as seen from the sun and is approximately at its nearest to the earth | |
| b. Compare conjunction the position of two celestial bodies when they appear to be diametrically opposite each other on the celestial sphere | |
| 9. | astrology conjunction square See trine an exact aspect of 180° between two planets, etc, an orb of 8° being allowed |
| 10. | logic |
| a. the relation between propositions having the same subject and predicate but differing in quality, quantity, or both, as with all men are wicked; no men are wicked; some men are not wicked | |
| b. square of opposition a diagram representing these relations with the contradictory propositions at diagonally opposite corners | |
| 11. | chess the opposition a relative position of the kings in the endgame such that the player who has the move is at a disadvantage: his opponent has the opposition |
| oppo'sitional | |
| —adj | |
| oppo'sitionist | |
| —n | |
| oppo'sitionless | |
| —adj | |
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opposition
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opposition  (ŏp'ə-zĭsh'ən) Pronunciation Key
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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opposition
in astronomy, the circumstance in which two celestial bodies appear in opposite directions in the sky. The Moon, when full, is said to be in opposition to the Sun; the Earth is then approximately between them. A superior planet (one with an orbit farther from the Sun than Earth's) is in opposition when Earth passes between it and the Sun. The opposition of a planet is a good time to observe it, because the planet is then at its nearest point to the Earth and in its full phase. The planets Venus and Mercury, whose orbits are smaller than Earth's, can never be in opposition to the Sun.
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