ETYM Greek, to struggle against; anti against + agon contest: cf. French antagonisme. Related to Agony.
1. Being an opposing principle or force or factor.
2. An actively expressed feeling of dislike and hostility.
3. (Biochemistry) Interference in or inhibition of the physiological action of a chemical substance by another having a similar structure.
1. A change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; SYN. bathos.
2. A disappointing decline after ad previous rise.
weak ending; sudden descent to the ridiculous; bathos.
The placing of the least impressive item last in a sequence; a disappointing conclusion or sudden descent from the important to the trivial.
ETYM Latin, from Greek, to set against, to oppose; anti against + stellein to set. Related to Thesis.
(Irregular plural: antitheses).
1. Exact opposite.
2. The juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance.
3. Contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangement of words or clauses.
4. Opposite; contrast; Literature, device of parallel but contrasted phrases or sentences, second stage of reasoned argument, opposing the thesis.
5. The balancing of two contrasting ideas, usually in the same sentence.
ETYM Latin complementun: cf. French complément. Related to Complete, Compliment.
1. Either of two parts that mutually complete each other.
2. Something added to complete or make perfect.
3. A word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction.
4. A complete number or quantity.
5. Number needed to make up whole force; SYN. full complement.
6. One of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response.
7. Full number or amount; addition that makes up full number; one of two equal things that complete each other; Grammar, addition to complete a predicate.
(Homonym: compliment).
A distinction drawn on the basis of contrast.
1. The degree of difference between light and dark extremes of color on a monitor or on printed output.
2. The control knob by which the contrast of a monitor is changed.
ETYM French, from Latin oppositio. Related to Opposite.
In astronomy, the moment at which a body in the Solar System lies opposite the Sun in the sky as seen from the Earth and crosses the meridian at about midnight.
Although the inferior planets cannot come to opposition, it is the best time for observation of the superior planets as they can then be seen all night.
1. The relation between opposed entities; SYN. oppositeness.
2. A direction opposite to another.
3. A contestant one is matched against; SYN. opponent, opposite.
4. A body of people united in opposing something.