INDEX:
1. to think something is wrong
2. a person or group that opposes something
3. words or behaviour that show that you oppose something
4. to say that you oppose something
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ SUPPORT
to play against someone in a game or sport : ↑ PLAY A GAME OR SPORT
see also
↑ DISAGREE
↑ DISAPPROVE
↑ FIGHT
↑ OPINION
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1. to think something is wrong
▷ be against/be opposed to /biː əˈgenst, biː əˈpəʊzd tuː/ [verb phrase]
to think that something is wrong and that it should not be allowed :
▪ Lundgren is against abortion.
▪ Most people are opposed to the privatization of the city’s public transportation system.
be strongly against
▪ There are two or three groups that are strongly against construction of the dam.
be dead set against
be very much against something
▪ She wants to marry him, but her parents are dead set against it.
be strongly/totally/opposed to
▪ Senator Thompson remains totally opposed to any form of gun control.
▷ oppose /əˈpəʊz/ [transitive verb]
to think that a plan, idea etc is wrong, and to try to prevent it from happening or succeeding :
▪ Conservative MPs say they will oppose the new bill.
strongly/vigorously oppose
▪ The Church strongly opposes same-sex marriage.
▷ not agree with something /nɒt əˈgriː wɪð (sth)/ especially spoken
to be against something, for example because it is new or different and you do not like things to change :
▪ My grandmother doesn’t agree with divorce.
▪ There are many people in the US who do not agree with capital punishment.
▷ not believe in something /nɒt bə̇ˈliːv ɪn (sth)/
to not support something, because you think something is wrong or immoral :
▪ Fiona doesn’t believe in having sex before marriage.
▪ I don’t believe in hitting children for any reason.
▷ anti- /ˈænti/ [prefix]
anti-war/-smoking/-American etc
against war, smoking, America etc :
▪ Anti-war demonstrators gathered in the city’s main square.
▪ The anti-smoking laws seem ridiculous to me.
▪ Anti-American sentiment remains high in the region.
▷ hostile /ˈhɒstaɪlǁˈhɑːstl, ˈhɑːstaɪl/ [adjective]
someone who is hostile to a plan or idea opposes it very strongly, and expresses this in an angry way :
▪ A hostile audience refused to listen to Senator Drummond’s reply.
hostile to/towards
▪ Local people are hostile towards the plan, which would involve a significant tax increase.
openly hostile
showing very clearly that you are hostile
▪ Lydon was openly hostile to any kind of criticism of the project.
▷ antagonistic /ænˌtægəˈnɪstɪk◂/ [adjective]
behaving in a way that shows that you strongly disapprove of someone or something :
▪ A lot of people refuse to work with Paula. Her manner is just too antagonistic.
antagonistic to/towards
▪ The right-wing press has always been deeply antagonistic towards the Labour party.
2. a person or group that opposes something
▷ opponent /əˈpəʊnənt/ [countable noun]
a person or group that opposes something :
opponent of
▪ In some countries, any opponent of the government is likely to lose their job.
▪ One notable opponent of the proposal was the mayor.
▷ the opposition /ði ˌɒpəˈzɪʃ ə nǁ-ˌɑːp-/ []
a group that is opposing another group, especially the political party or parties whose elected representatives oppose the official government :
▪ Opinion polls showed the opposition pulling ahead in some areas.
▪ Newspapers must reflect the views of the opposition as well as those of the government.
▷ enemy /ˈenəmi/ [countable noun]
a person or group that opposes something very strongly and tries to stop it or destroy it - used especially when you disapprove of this person or group :
enemy of
▪ the enemies of democracy
▪ an enemy of the Jewish people
3. words or behaviour that show that you oppose something
▷ objection /əbˈdʒekʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
something that you say because you oppose one particular detail of a plan, course of action etc :
have an objection
▪ If anyone has any objections, please let us know as soon as possible.
raise an objection
state an objection
▪ When I told him about my plans, my father raised one objection after another.
have no objection
▪ If you have no objection, I would like to use your name as a reference when I start applying for jobs.
▷ opposition /ˌɒpəˈzɪʃ ə nǁˌɑːp-/ [uncountable noun]
things that people say or do in order to show that they are against something :
▪ Widespread opposition to the military government led to violence in the streets.
opposition to
▪ Opposition to the war grew rapidly.
face opposition
▪ Plans for the new stadium will no doubt face a lot of opposition.
express opposition
▪ Thousands of people plan to gather on Sunday to express their opposition to the government’s handling of the crisis.
strong opposition
▪ Despite strong opposition, the law was passed.
▷ hostility /hɒˈstɪlɪti, hɒˈstɪlətiǁhɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
angry remarks or behaviour that shows someone opposes a plan or idea very strongly :
▪ The announcement was greeted with hostility from some employees.
hostility to/towards
▪ Recently there has been hostility towards the Prime Minister from members of his own party.
open hostility
obvious or public hostility
▪ Given his open hostility, it seemed pointless to try and continue to persuade him.
▷ antagonism /ænˈtægənɪz ə m/ [uncountable noun]
angry and unpleasant feelings or behaviour that show someone dislikes or disagrees very strongly with a person, organization, plan, or idea :
antagonism to/towards
▪ Hines made no effort to conceal his antagonism towards his supervisor.
antagonism between
▪ Mitchell sees no clear way to end the antagonism between the two groups.
4. to say that you oppose something
▷ object /əbˈdʒekt/ []
to say something to show that you oppose a plan or action because you think it is unfair or morally wrong :
▪ His supporters will certainly object if he is fired.
object to
▪ Rebecca objects to being told what to do.
strongly object to
▪ The committee strongly objected to the report’s recommendations.
▷ raise objections /ˌreɪz əbˈdʒekʃ ə nz/ [verb phrase]
to give specific reasons for opposing a plan or action :
▪ None of the committee members raised any objections, so we took a vote.
raise objections to
▪ Several church members raised objections to the way the money had been spent.