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opponent

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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Borrowed fromLatinoppōnēns(“opposing”), present active participle ofoppōnō(“I oppose”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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opponent (pluralopponents)

  1. One whoopposes another; one who works or takes a position against someone or something; one who attempts to stop theprogress of someone or something.
    The person who ran against her in the last election proved to be a formidableopponent.
    During the crackdown, manyopponents of the regime were arrested.
    1. One who opposes another physically (in afight,sport,game, orcompetition).
      • 1720,Alexander Pope,TheIliad ofHomer, London: Bernard Lintott, Volume 6, “Observations on the Twenty-Third Book,” no. 39, p. 136,[1]
        In the Chariot-RaceAchilles is represented as being able to conquer everyOpponent […]
      • 1819 December 20 (indicated as1820),Walter Scott, “[HTTP://WWW.GUTENBERG.ORG/FILES/82/82-H/82-H.HTM CHAPTER 11]”, inIvanhoe; a Romance. […], volume(please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […],→OCLC:
        […] he slid his right hand down to his left, and with the full swing of the weapon struck hisopponent on the left side of the head, who instantly measured his length upon the green sward.
      • 1958,Graham Greene,Our Man in Havana‎[2], New York: Pocket Books, published1974,Part 5, Chapter 5, p. 196:
        […] it is possible for a good [draughts] player to defeat anopponent without capturing his pieces.
    2. One who opposes another in words (in adispute,argument orcontroversy).
      • 1777,Hannah More, “Thoughts on Conversation”, inEssays on Various Subjects‎[3], London: J. Wilkie and T. Cadell, page54:
        It is easier to confound than to convince anopponent; the former may be effected by a turn that has more happiness than truth in it.
      • 1847,Charlotte Brontë, chapter 4, inJane Eyre‎[4]:
        “What more have you to say?” she asked, rather in the tone in which a person might address anopponent of adult age than such as is ordinarily used to a child.
    3. One who is opposed orobjects (to apolicy, course of action or set of ideas).
      She was a dedicatedopponent of the death penalty.
      • 1652,Peter Heylin,Cosmographie‎[5], London: Henry Seile,Book 1, Part 20, p. 205:
        Their Oath is to maintain theRomish-Catholick Religion, and persecute allOpponents to it.
      • 1853,Elizabeth Gaskell, chapter 1, inCranford‎[6]:
        My own friends had been among the bitterestopponents of any proposal to visit the Captain and his daughters, only twelve months before; and now he was even admitted in the tabooed hours before twelve.
    4. (historical) The participant whoopens anacademicdebate by putting forwardobjections to atheological orphilosophicalthesis.
      • 1551,Thomas Wilson, “The maner of confutacion twoo waies considered”, inThe Rule of Reason, conteinyng the Arte of Logique‎[7], London:
        We make the argument appere slender, when we receiue it laughyngly, and declare by wordes, euen at the first, that it is nothyng to the purpose, and so abashe theopponent.
      • 1587,Raphael Holinshedet al., “The Continvation of the chronicles of England from the yeare of our Lord 1576, to this present yeare 1586, &c.”, inThe First and Second Volumes of Chronicles‎[8], London, page1355:
        […] diuinitie disputations, in all which those learnedopponents, respondents, & moderators, quited themselues like themselues, sharplie and soundlie, besides all other solemne sermons & lectures.
      • 1679,William Penn,An Address to Protestants‎[9], London,Part 2, p. 77:
        […] by the manyDisputes that rise from hence, MensWits wereconfounded with their matters,Truth was lost &Brotherhood destroyed: thus theDevil acted the Part both ofOpponent andDefendant, and managed thePassions of bothParties to his End, which wasDISCORD.
      • 1700,John Sergeant,Transnatural Philosophy‎[10], London,Book 3, Chapter 1, p. 276:
        […] this untoward Method allows him who is theRespondent, to prevaricate from his Duty, and turnOpponent: Whichconfounds those two Offices, andperverts all the Laws of Reasoning or Discoursing.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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one who opposes another
one who opposes another physically
one who opposes another in words
one who objects to a policy, etc.
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Adjective

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opponent (comparativemoreopponent,superlativemostopponent)

  1. (obsolete) Opposing; adverse; antagonistic.
    • 1647, Francis Bland,The Souldiers March to Salvation‎[11], York, page25:
      […] we are to consider enemies as menopponent to peace and justice, and to these they are by warrs to be reduced; And no other ends in the pursuite of enemies by sword and hostile Acts are to be sought for[…]
    • 1726,Elijah Fenton, transl.,TheOdyssey ofHomer, Translated from the Greek byAlexander Pope‎[12], London, published1760,Volume 4, Book 19, lines 524-525, p. 44:
      Young Ithacus advanc’d, defies the foe,
      Poising his lifted lance in act to throw:
      The savage renders vain the wound decreed,
      And springs impetuous withopponent speed!
    • 1792,Thomas Holcroft,Anna St. Ives‎[13], London: Shepperson and Reynolds, Volume 4, Letter 64, p. 53:
      The reasons you have urged are indeed weighty: yet they have never made an impression so deep upon my mind, as not to take flight, and leave theiropponent arguments in some sort the victors.
    • 1828, Stephen Drew,Principles of Self-Knowledge‎[14], London: Longman, Volume 2, Section 23, p. 24:
      Let it not be supposed, that by “catholic,” I mean to designate men who are lax in their principles, and alike indifferent to all religious systems. On the contrary, they are more earnestly attached to truth, and moreopponent to sin than others[…]
  2. (obsolete) Situated in front; opposite.

Further reading

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Latin

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Verb

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oppōnent

  1. third-personpluralfutureactiveindicative ofoppōnō
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