as in contraries
something that is as different as possible from something else
no matter what I say, you insist on the opposite
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Recent Examples of opposites
But the mix of both energies of these authentic polar opposites worked well together to keep the crowd laughing.
—
Malina Saval, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
To him, loyalty to the British Crown and loyalty to home were not opposites.
—Kimberly Nath, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
But beyond that, this conflict has a dramatic, even archetypal, quality to it, pitting polar opposites against each other.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
The rhetoric of diplomatic negotiation can often speak in opposites.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026
Science and art are often held up as opposites — the logical and analytical versus the creative and emotional, the domain of the left brain hemisphere versus the right, the yang versus the yin.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Trapping opposites in one cage In their study, the researchers focused on a tool called a Paul trap, a workhorse of modern physics.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 11 Apr. 2026
Etiquette neither knows nor cares who is generous and who is stingy, and indecisive and rude are not opposites.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Malina Saval, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
To him, loyalty to the British Crown and loyalty to home were not opposites.
—Kimberly Nath, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
But beyond that, this conflict has a dramatic, even archetypal, quality to it, pitting polar opposites against each other.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
The rhetoric of diplomatic negotiation can often speak in opposites.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026
Science and art are often held up as opposites — the logical and analytical versus the creative and emotional, the domain of the left brain hemisphere versus the right, the yang versus the yin.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Trapping opposites in one cage In their study, the researchers focused on a tool called a Paul trap, a workhorse of modern physics.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 11 Apr. 2026
Etiquette neither knows nor cares who is generous and who is stingy, and indecisive and rude are not opposites.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opposites
reverses
Noun
-
Most of those came on reverses or other wide runs.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Opposites.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opposites. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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