opposed

1 of 2

adjective

op·​posed ə-ˈpōzd How to pronounce opposed (audio)
Synonyms of opposed
: set or placed in opposition : contrary
… with politicians, as opposed to soap, you cannot return what you have bought …—Felix G. Rohatyn
voters who are opposed to the plan

opposed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of oppose

Examples of opposed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Maps showing the states that are most opposed to AI data centers. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 Fifty-three percent of Americans support executing Hasan by firing squad, with 42% opposed. — Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026 According to a poll conducted in September by PBS, NPR and Marist, 65% of voters oppose construction in their communities, with 43% strongly opposed. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026 The oil industry and big business groups were staunchly opposed. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for opposed

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English — more at oppose

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of opposed was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing opposed

Rhymes for opposed

See All Rhymes for opposed

Browse Nearby Words

oppose
opposed
opposeless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Opposed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opposed. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on opposed

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for opposed

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All