OPPONENTS Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

opponents

noun

plural of opponent

as in foes

one that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict in martial arts, before the match begins, always bow to your opponent

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in enemies

one that is hostile toward another the senator has many political opponents who would love to ruin his career

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of opponents But tribal opponents disagree that those requirements were met and said drilling projects are often a first step leading to future mines. —

Sarah Raza, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2026 Martin gets some jokes about it, more from older generations than teammates or opponents. —

Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2026 Each speech in Policy is time-limited; kids speak like gasping auctioneers to cram in arguments their opponents must try to rebut. —

Eli Durst, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 As DeSantis continues the rapid pace of executions, following a record year of 19 in 2025, opponents to the death penalty are getting more vocal. —

Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 4 May 2026 Mosley built a strong defense, but even Banchero had noted that his coach had been slow to respond to opponents’ second-half adjustments. —

Josh Robbins, New York Times, 4 May 2026 Tunney, an attorney and former executive at his family's roofing company, won the GOP special primary with 51% of the vote against three opponents. —

CBS News, 4 May 2026 Just as troubling is the silence from our Republican opponents, who have been all too willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Democrats to push these false narratives. —

Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2026 Setting themselves apart from their opponents on the Interstate 77 toll lane debacle and establishing a reputation as a coalition builder, according to two former City Council members on opposite sides of the aisle. —

Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponents

Noun

This fourth season was the series’ most ambitious, both in its set pieces (shoot-outs, car chases) and in its interrogation of what its characters value and love, and if Dark Winds can keep mixing up the flavor of Leaphorn and Chee’s foes, its forecast looks good.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Reuters, which won for national reporting, looked at how Trump has used the federal government and his supporters’ influence to expand presidential authority and target foes, the award judges noted.

— Jennifer Peltz, Twin Cities, 4 May 2026