Skip to main content
oppositional

oppositional

5 6.6
Showing disagreement or resistance to someone with power
  • adjective
  • /ˌɑːpəˈzɪʃənl/
translation icon : opositor
  • If you took an oppositional view you were almost un-American.
  • oppositional behaviors
  • oppositional disorder
  • oppositional culture

Like there's this oppositional mindset that comes from really Newtonian physics.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • "It's also easy to be oppositional, just for the sake of being contrary."

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Two genres—alternative and hip hop—seemed to emerge as oppositional modes, almost always raced as white against black.

    Academic text (2017)
  • High art must be seen as an oppositional retreat from mass culture.

    Academic text (1993)
  • So this is a direct oppositional approach to perhaps the YouTube build TV show approach, which is this is audio only.

  • Antagonistic people are oppositional, so rules don't work for them and they cannot play fair.

  • In tandem with texts, images may shed silence while remaining wild and oppositional.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Consequently, minority students develop oppositional practices that lead to the loss of peer affiliation and institutional support.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Throughout Washington, D.C., Vidal supplements the oppositional politics of the counterculture with a historical consciousness it otherwise lacks.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The immigrant collectivity was an arena in which a variety of ideologies, hegemonic and oppositional, contended for supremacy.

    Academic text (1992)
  • In discussions about politics, he often takes an oppositional stance that challenges the prevailing views.

Synonyms

hostile
vsoppositional
194 4.6

Showing strong dislike or opposition

can be neutral and not necessarily emotionally charged opposition
contrary
vsoppositional
183 4.5

Opposed to something, often going against the facts

focuses more on active resistance toward someone or something rather than incompatibility
defiant
vsoppositional
63 5.6

Refusing to follow rules or orders in a bold, open way

can be milder, including quiet or passive forms of resistance
adversarial
vsoppositional
23 7.4

A situation where people or groups strongly oppose each other

is mainly about a stance of resistance rather than a competitive situation
resistant
vsoppositional
20 4.3

Refusing to accept change or obey people in charge

is wider, covering any form of opposition not only stubborn defiance
antagonistic
vsoppositional
16 6.8

Acting in a hostile way toward someone or something

is broader and may lack the angry or hostile feeling implied here
opposing
vsoppositional
15 3.4

Being against another person or group

is more general, covering resistance that may not be active competition
antithetical
vsoppositional
12 8.4

Directly opposed in beliefs or purpose

focuses on resisting people or authority rather than abstract incompatibility
rebellious
vsoppositional
9 4.9

Taking part in resistance against the government or authority

is not limited to political or large scale rebellion, covers any opposition
opposed
vsoppositional
1 3.5

Against something or someone in opinion and action

is broader, meaning ongoing resistance rather than only simple disagreement
resistive
vsoppositional
7.6

Likely to oppose rules or orders

is less about habit and more about showing resistance in context
dissenting
vsoppositional
6.7

Showing disagreement with a decision or opinion of most people

covers disagreement but also general resistance to people or authority
dissentious
vsoppositional
  • Archaic
9.9

Likely to disagree with most people and start arguments

is about opposing in many ways, not only causing group disagreement
dissentient
vsoppositional
  • Formal
9.8

Disagreeing with the majority or with official opinion

is broader, applying to opposition beyond group or majority contexts
negativistic
vsoppositional
  • Specialized
9.0

Often refuses to do what others ask

is similar but can be less persistent or less about refusal
contrarious
vsoppositional
  • Literature
9.9

Often disagreeing with others on purpose to be difficult

is less about perversity and more about general opposition or disagreement
antiauthoritarian
vsoppositional
8.2

Not accepting strict control by people in charge

is more general, not restricted to opposition against authoritarian systems
antithetic
vsoppositional
9.3

Directly opposite in idea or purpose

is about active resistance to someone or something, not just conceptual contrast

Antonyms

119 3.5

Willing to work with other people to reach a shared goal

17 3.3

Ready to say yes to an idea or request

How Resistant

defiant
63 5.6
resistant
20 4.3
oppositional
5 6.6

Surface Forms

oppositional positive

Morphology

oppositional = opposition (transparent) = oppos + ition + al

The adjective is transparently formed from 'opposition' with the standard adjectival suffix '-al', so the meaning is readily recoverable.

Etymology

The word oppositional comes from opposite, which originally meant 'placed against' and is related to position, a word about 'place'. So to be oppositional is to stand or act 'against' someone or something — to resist or disagree.