opponent B2 Topic:Sports & Fitness US /əˈpəʊ.nənt/ See IPA manual Freq #5573 Meanings 1 noun A person you compete or fight against in a game, contest, or argument. The person who ran against her proved to be a formidable opponent. 2 noun A person who is against an idea, plan, or policy. Opponents of the new law gathered to protest. 3 adj Opposing; acting against. The two opponent armies faced each other across the valley. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a person you compete or... adversaryantagonistopposition 2 noun · a person who is against an... opposer 3 adj · opposing; acting against. opposing ↔ Opposites advocateproponentrespondentsupporter Word family Forms opponents Derived forms opponency Common collocations formidable opponent Adjective + noun Etymology AI details Borrowed from Latin oppōnēns (“opposing”), present active participle of oppōnō (“to oppose”). *tḱey- Proto-Indo-European oppōnēns Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Sports & Fitness External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # opponent **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** noun, adj **IPA (US):** /əˈpəʊ.nənt/ **Frequency rank:** 5573 ## Meanings 1. A person you compete or fight against in a game, contest, or argument. 2. A person who is against an idea, plan, or policy. 3. Opposing; acting against. ## Examples - The person who ran against her proved to be a formidable opponent. - Opponents of the new law gathered to protest. - The two opponent armies faced each other across the valley. ## Synonyms - adversary - antagonist ## Antonyms - advocate - proponent - respondent - supporter ## Derived Forms - opponency ## Roots and Affixes - Root: *tḱey- - Root: oppōnēns - Affix: -ent - one who ## Etymology Borrowed from Latin oppōnēns (“opposing”), present active participle of oppōnō (“to oppose”). ## AI Etymology Opponent was borrowed from Latin oppōnēns (“opposing”), present active participle of oppōnō (“to oppose”). The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- and Latin oppōnēns. Modern senses include a person you compete or fight against in a game, contest, or argument and a person who is against an idea, plan, or policy. The wider word family includes derivatives such as opponency. ## Topics - Sports & Fitness markdown