Dictionary:

opposition

  (ŏp'ə-zĭsh'ən)

1. 1. The act of opposing or resisting.
   2. The condition of being in conflict; antagonism: “The history of men's opposition to women's emancipation is more interesting perhaps than the story of that emancipation itself” (Virginia Woolf).
2. Placement opposite to or in contrast with another.
3. Something that serves as an obstacle.
4. often Opposition A political party or an organized group opposed to the group, party, or government in power.
5. Astronomy.
   1. The position of two celestial bodies when their longitude differs by 180°, especially a configuration in which Earth lies on a straight line between the sun and a superior planet or the moon.
   2. The position of the superior planet or the moon in this configuration.
6. Logic. The relation existing between two propositions having an identical subject and predicate but differing in quantity, quality, or both.
7. Linguistics. Contrast in a language between two phonemes or other linguistically important elements.

noun

1. The act of resisting: renitence, renitency, resistance. See resist/yield.
2. The condition of being in conflict: antagonism, antithesis, contradiction, contradistinction, contraposition, contrariety, contrariness, polarity. See support/oppose.
3. One that opposes another in a battle, contest, controversy, or debate: adversary, antagonist, opponent, opposer, oppositionist, resister. See resist/yield, support/oppose.

Definition: obstruction, antagonism
Antonyms: compatibility, harmony, peace

n

Definition: person, people competing
Antonyms: ally, team, teammates

The muscle action that enables the pad of the thumb to make contact with the pad of the other fingers and so provide a firm and sensitive grip. It is an action unique to the thumb and fingers, and involves a combination of abduction, circumduction, and rotation.

n.

In politics the party that prevents the Government from running amuck by hamstringing it.

The King of Ghargaroo, who had been abroad to study the science of government, appointed one hundred of his fattest subjects as members of a parliament to make laws for the collection of revenue. Forty of these he named the Party of Opposition and had his Prime Minister carefully instruct them in their duty of opposing every royal measure. Nevertheless, the first one that was submitted passed unanimously. Greatly displeased, the King vetoed it, informing the Opposition that if they did that again they would pay for their obstinacy with their heads. The entire forty promptly disemboweled themselves.

"What shall we do now?" the King asked. "Liberal institutions cannot be maintained without a party of Opposition."

"Splendor of the universe," replied the Prime Minister, "it is true these dogs of darkness have no longer their credentials, but all is not lost. Leave the matter to this worm of the dust."

So the Minister had the bodies of his Majesty's Opposition embalmed and stuffed with straw, put back into the seats of power and nailed there. Forty votes were recorded against every bill and the nation prospered. But one day a bill imposing a tax on warts was defeated -- the members of the Government party had not been nailed to their seats! This so enraged the King that the Prime Minister was put to death, the parliament was dissolved with a battery of artillery, and government of the people, by the people, for the people perished from Ghargaroo.

Tutor's tip: It's likely that activists would be in "opposition" of (against) having a jail built in "apposition" (placed together) to a school.

Quotes:

"Many a man's strength is in opposition, and when he faileth, he grows out of use." - Francis Bacon

"Opposition is true friendship." - William Blake

"He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves, and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper. This amicable conflict with difficulty helps us to an intimate acquaintance with our object, and compels us to consider it in all its relations. It will not suffer us to be superficial." - Edmund Burke

"No government can be long secure without a formidable opposition. It reduces their supporters to that tractable number which can be managed by the joint influences of fruition and hope. It offers vengeance to the discontented, and distinction to the ambitious; and employs the energies of aspiring spirits, who otherwise may prove traitors in a division or assassins in a debate." - Benjamin Disraeli

"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices, but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence." - Albert Einstein

"But most of us are apt to settle within ourselves that the man who blocks our way is odious, and not to mind causing him a little of the disgust which his personality excites in ourselves." - George Eliot

See more famous quotes about Opposition

• Opposition (astronomy), a term describing the position of a celestial body

• Opposition (chess), a term describing the position of the kings relative to each other
• Opposition proceeding, an administrative process available under some patent or trademark laws
• Opposition of the thumb

Parliamentary political:

• Loyal opposition
• Opposition (politics), an organised political group that serves to offer opposing views to the government
• Opposition (parliamentary), a form of political opposition
• Official Opposition (Canada)
• Official Opposition (India)
• Opposition Front Bench (Ireland)
• Official Opposition (New Zealand)
• Official Opposition (United Kingdom)
• Opposition (Australia)
• Opposition (Malaysia)
• Opposition Party (United States)

Other:

• The Opposition, a band

See also

• Leader of the Opposition

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Common misspelling(s) of opposition

• oposition

Dansk (Danish)
n. - modstand, modsætning, modsætningsforhold, opposition

Nederlands (Dutch)
verzet, weerstand, tegenwerking, tegenstand, oppositie, tegenpartij, reactie

Français (French)
n. - (gén) opposition, (Pol) opposition, (Sport) adversaire

Deutsch (German)
n. - Gegensatz, Opposition, Widerstand

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αντίθεση, αντίσταση, αντίδραση, αντιπολίτευση, εναντίωση

Italiano (Italian)
avversario, resistenza, opposizione, partito di opposizione

Português (Portuguese)
n. - oposição (f)

Русский (Russian)
сопротивление, оппозиция

Español (Spanish)
n. - adversario, oponente, oposición, desacuerdo, partido de oposición

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - motsättning, motsats, opposition, läge mitt emot

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
反对, 相反, 敌对

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 反對, 相反, 敵對

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 저항, 적대, 이의신청

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 反対, 抵抗, 反対党

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) معاكسه, مقاومه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮התנגדות, אופוזיציה, עימות, ניגוד‬

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