Basic Details
Word: Opponent
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person or team that you play, fight or argue against.
Synonyms: rival, competitor, adversary, challenger
Antonyms: ally, supporter, teammate, partner
Word origin: From the Latin opponere, 'to set against', the verb that also gives English oppose and opposite.
How to Spell Opponent
Syllables: op - po - nent
Tricky part: There are two p's together, and the ending is ent, not ant.
Watch out for: oponent, opponant, opponnent
Memory tip: Two players face each other across the net: that is the double p in o-pp-onent.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The wrestler bowed to his opponent before the bout.
Example 2: In debates, listen carefully to your opponent's points.
Example 3: Our school beat a strong opponent in the semi-final.
Fun Fact
In chess the player with the white pieces always moves first, and over many thousands of games this gives White a small edge over the opponent.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word opponent as it is used in the sentence:
In the final, her opponent was a girl she had trained with for years.
a) rival
b) adversary
c) competitor
d) ally
Show answer
d) ally. An ally is on your side, which an opponent is not.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
The boxer touched gloves with his topnepon before the first round.
a) component
b) proponent
c) exponent
d) opponent
Show answer
d) opponent. The jumble has two p's and no r, c or x, so it can only be opponent.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Although the chess champion was only twelve, her oponent, a grandmaster from Russia, needed more than five hours to draw the game.
a) twelve
b) champion
c) grandmaster
d) oponent
Show answer
d) oponent. Opponent has a double p, which the sentence has lost.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In a debate, your opponent is the person who ____.
a) argues for the other side
b) keeps the time
c) hands out the prizes
d) asks the audience questions
Show answer
a) argues for the other side
2. Opponent belongs to the same word family as ____.
a) oppose
b) opera
c) open
d) opinion
Show answer
a) oppose
