Other forms: opposites
Opposite means as different from something as it is possible to be. Hot and cold, up and down.
It works as an adjective, a noun and a preposition, which is unusual: the opposite direction, the exact opposite, sitting opposite me. That last use means facing, so opposite in a room means across from. Acting uses it too, since starring opposite somebody means playing against them. Its close cousin contrary means opposite in reasoning, and the phrase on the contrary is used to reject what has just been said.
1adjectiveoppositeCompletely different in nature or direction.~55%
“They set off in opposite directions.”
2nounentirelyA person or thing entirely different from another.~18%
“He is the opposite of his brother in every way.”
3prepositionfacingFacing, or across from.~27%
“She sat opposite him at the table.”
Shares are an estimate: a language model read 22 sentences found in the wild and placed 22 of them on a sense — a count of our sample, not a measurement of English.
Opposite is the past participle of Latin oppōnō, to set against. The opposite of a thing is whatever has been placed facing it.
Latin
oppositus
Old French
oposite
Middle English
opposit
English, today
opposite
Built from
Middle English opposit, borrowed from Old French oposite, from Latin oppositus, perfect passive participle of oppōnō (“to oppose”). Compare oppose.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA