set against
phrasal verb
set against; setting against; sets against
: feeling strongly that one does not want (something) or will not do (something)
Everyone was set against going.
He was dead set against the deal.
Examples of set against in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On the men’s side, Jakub Menšík, also Czech, lasted just five games before retiring against Australia’s Alex de Minaur, while Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti withdrew down 3-0 in the third set against young American Learner Tien.
—
Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
The film is set against the 2018 Camp Fire, which burned more than 150,000 acres and killed 85 people.
—Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
And that’s not even getting into how the movie’s plot — set against the backdrop of a white-supremacist American regime and the revolutionary movement determined to fight it — speaks to this particular moment in America.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
The motor court, which appears to float above the entrance to the subterranean garage, leads to the double-height foyer with ebony polished concrete floors and a floating staircase set against a wall of glass.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for set against
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Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
The film is set against the 2018 Camp Fire, which burned more than 150,000 acres and killed 85 people.
—Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
And that’s not even getting into how the movie’s plot — set against the backdrop of a white-supremacist American regime and the revolutionary movement determined to fight it — speaks to this particular moment in America.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
The motor court, which appears to float above the entrance to the subterranean garage, leads to the double-height foyer with ebony polished concrete floors and a floating staircase set against a wall of glass.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for set against
Cite this Entry
“Set against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/set%20against. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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