1
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Recent Examples of opponents
In recent years, opponents have felt comfortable defending their 12-personnel sets with both heavy and light personnel.
—
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Overall, the Knicks went 16-3 in the 2026 playoffs and did so in dramatic fashion, outscoring their opponents by 283 points in those 19 games — by far the biggest single-postseason point differential in NBA history.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 June 2026
However, for all the antitrust threats opponents to the merger have floated, the mainly unspoken but real battle in this year of midterm elections seems to be about old-fashioned politics and firing up the base.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 15 June 2026
The opponents would crack, and the Knicks, led by Brunson, somehow always rallied.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2026
Roaring and grunting, his body sleek with blood and sweat, Conan tussles and grapples with a series of opponents, dominating them all, while an audience of torch-wielding vulgarians shouts and howls at the pit’s lip.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Championship matches, which rarely last longer than 30 minutes and sometimes much less, are inevitably preceded by hours of participants making all manner of florid claims and trash-talking their opponents.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Most of Kagame’s opponents are in exile.
—ABC News, 15 June 2026
While the ruling was a win for death penalty opponents fighting against the use of nitrogen gas, the court stopped short of granting Lee a stay of execution or attempting to banish the method altogether.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Overall, the Knicks went 16-3 in the 2026 playoffs and did so in dramatic fashion, outscoring their opponents by 283 points in those 19 games — by far the biggest single-postseason point differential in NBA history.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 June 2026
However, for all the antitrust threats opponents to the merger have floated, the mainly unspoken but real battle in this year of midterm elections seems to be about old-fashioned politics and firing up the base.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 15 June 2026
The opponents would crack, and the Knicks, led by Brunson, somehow always rallied.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2026
Roaring and grunting, his body sleek with blood and sweat, Conan tussles and grapples with a series of opponents, dominating them all, while an audience of torch-wielding vulgarians shouts and howls at the pit’s lip.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Championship matches, which rarely last longer than 30 minutes and sometimes much less, are inevitably preceded by hours of participants making all manner of florid claims and trash-talking their opponents.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Most of Kagame’s opponents are in exile.
—ABC News, 15 June 2026
While the ruling was a win for death penalty opponents fighting against the use of nitrogen gas, the court stopped short of granting Lee a stay of execution or attempting to banish the method altogether.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opponents
Noun
-
The demonstration, which had been previously organized by a hodgepodge of activist groups after weeks of negotiations with local authorities, was otherwise peaceful — with environmentalists, women’s rights advocates, supporters of Palestinians and foes of imperialism, fascism and capitalism.—
Jamey Keaten,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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Activist groups including environmentalists, feminists and foes of capitalism have called for a big demonstration later Sunday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Those of us who care about keeping liberalism alive need Europeans to start defending it against all of its enemies—in Moscow, Beijing, and Washington.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
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In the book, Leganski offers a rare, unfettered account of what goes into becoming speaker of the House, and takes digs at enemies.—
Zak Hudak,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
The intoxicating pull of the manosphere – the hyper-online community led by men who tout misogynistic definitions of manliness – has given Glass a boisterous brigade of rivals.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
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But its comfort, confidence, and overall road smoothness equal many of its rivals’ personas.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
21 June 2026
Noun
-
One of the project’s most significant adversaries is the city of Sacramento — while the area is not under their governance, city officials argue the development would violate a decades-old habitat conservation agreement with the county.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
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The adversaries made for a striking scene, exchanging insults in mutually unintelligible languages in the dead of night.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
By graduating from a 17-company backlog of pending CFTC applications submitted in the past year, ProphetX has gained a momentary edge over direct competitors that haven’t been approved yet.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
16 June 2026
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Fox is acquiring the streaming and device giant for $22 billion, the two companies announced Monday, in an acquisition that earns Fox a new set of media competitors and raises thorny questions.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opponents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opponents. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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