Opposition in Different Languages
Discover 'Opposition' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'opposition' carries significant weight in our vocabulary, denoting the existence of differing viewpoints or forces. It's a concept that transcends cultural boundaries, making its understanding crucial for effective communication across the globe. Throughout history, the opposition has played a pivotal role in shaping societies, politics, and innovation. From the ancient Greek concept of 'antagonism' to the Chinese 'duikang', the term has been translated and interpreted in various fascinating ways.
For language enthusiasts and cultural explorers, understanding the nuances of 'opposition' in different languages can open up new dimensions of meaning and context. Take, for instance, the French 'opposition', which not only refers to conflict but also to an parliamentary assembly's official opposition. Or the Spanish 'oposición', which can mean both opposition and competition.
Below, you'll find a comprehensive list of 'opposition' translations in various languages, offering a glimpse into the rich linguistic and cultural diversity that surrounds this powerful term.
Opposition
Opposition in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | opposisie | ||
| The word 'opposie' comes from the Latin word 'oppositus,' meaning 'placed against or over' and 'opposed.' It can also be used to refer to the opposing team or side in a competition or game. | |||
| Amharic | ተቃውሞ | ||
| The noun "ተቃውሞ" can also mean "contradiction". | |||
| Hausa | adawa | ||
| In addition to its meaning of "opposition," "adawa" can also refer to "enmity" or "hatred" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | mmegide | ||
| The Igbo word "mmegide" can also mean "obstacle". | |||
| Malagasy | mpanohitra | ||
| The word "mpanohitra" is derived from the root word "ohitra", meaning "to go against" or "to resist". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutsutsa | ||
| The word "kutsutsa" can also refer to a "quarrel" or a "disagreement". | |||
| Shona | kushorwa | ||
| "Kushorwa" can mean either "an opponent" or "a hurdle" in Shona, with the former usage being the more common. | |||
| Somali | mucaaradka | ||
| The word "mucaaradka" also has the alternate meaning of "disagreement" or "conflict". | |||
| Sesotho | bohanyetsi | ||
| Bohanyetsi means to stand at an angle, and it also refers to a person who is opposed to others. | |||
| Swahili | upinzani | ||
| The word "upinzani" can also refer to a political party or movement that opposes the government. | |||
| Xhosa | inkcaso | ||
| The Xhosa word 'inkcaso' also means 'a different place', highlighting the idea of opposition as a separation in space. | |||
| Yoruba | atako | ||
| In Yoruba, 'atako' also means 'disruption' or 'interruption'. | |||
| Zulu | ukuphikiswa | ||
| Ukuphikiswa is derived from the verb 'phikisa', which means 'contradict', 'oppose', or 'disagree'. | |||
| Bambara | kɛlɛli | ||
| Ewe | tsitretsiɖeŋu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | opposition | ||
| Lingala | botɛmɛli | ||
| Luganda | okuvuganya | ||
| Sepedi | kganetšo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɔsɔretia | ||
Opposition in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | معارضة | ||
| The word "معارضة" also refers to a "debate" or "criticism" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | הִתנַגְדוּת | ||
| The word "הִתנַגְדוּת" can also mean "resistance" or "objection." | |||
| Pashto | مخالفت | ||
| The Pashto word "مخالفت" can also refer to "disagreement" or "contradiction". | |||
| Arabic | معارضة | ||
| The word "معارضة" also refers to a "debate" or "criticism" in Arabic. | |||
Opposition in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kundërshtimi | ||
| The word "kundërshtimi" derives from the Old Slavic word "suprotь", meaning "against" or "opposite". | |||
| Basque | oposizioa | ||
| The Basque word "oposizioa" also means "obstacle" or "difficulty". | |||
| Catalan | oposició | ||
| The word "oposició" can also refer to a competitive examination for public office in Catalonia. | |||
| Croatian | protivljenje | ||
| The word 'protivljenje' also means 'contradiction', 'disagreement', 'disapproval', or 'objection' in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | modstand | ||
| In Danish, "modstand" can mean both "opposition" and "resistance", reflecting its dual role in politics and physics. | |||
| Dutch | oppositie | ||
| In Dutch, "oppositie" (opposition) can also refer to "the opposition parties in parliament" or "a person who holds a contrary opinion". | |||
| English | opposition | ||
| The word 'opposition' comes from the Latin 'oppositio', meaning 'a placing against' or 'a setting opposite'. | |||
| French | opposition | ||
| In French, 'opposition' can also refer to a political party that opposes the government. | |||
| Frisian | opposysje | ||
| The Frisian word "opposysje" is derived from the Middle Dutch word "oppositie", which means "counteraction" or "resistance". | |||
| Galician | oposición | ||
| The Galician word "oposición" means "opposition," "adversary," or "contradiction." | |||
| German | opposition | ||
| The German word "Opposition" can also be used to refer to a contrasting opinion or a difference in perspective. | |||
| Icelandic | andstöðu | ||
| Andstöðu means both "opposition" and "position" in Old Norse, and this ambiguity has carried through to Icelandic | |||
| Irish | freasúra | ||
| The word 'freasúra' can also mean a 'hindrance', 'obstruction' or 'difficulty'. | |||
| Italian | opposizione | ||
| The word "opposizione" in Italian can also refer to the act of opposing or resisting something, or to an instance of such opposition. | |||
| Luxembourgish | oppositioun | ||
| Maltese | oppożizzjoni | ||
| In Maltese, "oppożizzjoni" can also refer to the group of individuals or entities opposing or resisting authority, a government or a measure, similar to the English word "opposition". | |||
| Norwegian | motstand | ||
| "Motstand" in Norwegian also refers to resistance, especially against force, pressure, or current in physics. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | oposição | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "oposição" can also refer to the act of opposing or resisting something. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cur an aghaidh | ||
| Cur an aghaidh's root meaning is 'to put against', implying a force or action opposing something else. | |||
| Spanish | oposición | ||
| In Spanish, the word "oposición" can also refer to a job announcement with public access. | |||
| Swedish | opposition | ||
| The Swedish word "opposition" can also refer to a chess move or the act of resisting something | |||
| Welsh | gwrthwynebiad | ||
| The word "gwrthwynebiad" also means "resistance" and "contradiction" in Welsh. | |||
Opposition in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | апазіцыі | ||
| "Апазіцыі" also means "the state of being opposite, the state of being facing each other". | |||
| Bosnian | opozicija | ||
| The word "opozicija" can also refer to "disagreement" or "contradiction" in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | опозиция | ||
| The alternative meaning of "опозиция" in Bulgarian is "a musical interval or a chord that is an inversion of the original." | |||
| Czech | opozice | ||
| In Czech, the word "opozice" also means "resistance" or "rebellion". | |||
| Estonian | vastuseis | ||
| The Estonian word "vastuseis" can also mean "resistance" or "withstand." | |||
| Finnish | vastustusta | ||
| The word "vastustusta" derives from "vastaan", meaning "against" and "tusta", meaning "pain" | |||
| Hungarian | ellenzék | ||
| The Hungarian word "ellenzék" originates from the Latin "legio", meaning "legion" or "troops," suggesting historical ties to military or political factions. | |||
| Latvian | opozīcija | ||
| In Latvian, "opozīcija" also refers to a party or group of people who oppose a particular policy or government. | |||
| Lithuanian | opozicija | ||
| In Lithuanian, „opozicija“ also means „dissonance“ in music. | |||
| Macedonian | спротивставување | ||
| The Macedonian word "спротивставување" means "resistance" and can also be used to refer to "opposition" in a political context. | |||
| Polish | sprzeciw | ||
| Sprzeciw derives from the Proto-Slavic *sŭpertiti which means to 'oppose, be hostile' | |||
| Romanian | opoziţie | ||
| The Romanian word "opoziţie" ultimately derives from the Latin word "oppositio", meaning "action of placing against or setting opposite". | |||
| Russian | оппозиция | ||
| Russian оппозиция "opposition" is also the name of a chess opening. | |||
| Serbian | опозиција | ||
| The word "опозиција" can also refer to a confrontation, contest, or the act of expressing disagreement with a position or opinion. | |||
| Slovak | opozícia | ||
| The word "opozícia" also means "delay" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | opozicijo | ||
| This word is derived from Latin, but is most similar to the Polish word "opozycja". | |||
| Ukrainian | опозиція | ||
| Opposition's etymology derives via French from medieval Latin “oppositio” - "contradiction, resistance", as defined by Cicero, in turn originating from Latin “op” ("with, together") + “ponere” ("to put, to place"), with a root related to “post” - "after". In a similar vein, in Old Ukrainian “опозиція” meant literally "co-placement, contiguity". | |||
Opposition in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিরোধী দল | ||
| The word "বিরোধী দল" (opposition) is derived from the Sanskrit word "विरोध" (virodha), meaning "hostility" or "contradiction"} | |||
| Gujarati | વિરોધ | ||
| In Gujarati, the word વિરોધ can also refer to resistance or refusal. | |||
| Hindi | विरोध | ||
| The word "विरोध" in Hindi can also mean "contradiction" or "disagreement". | |||
| Kannada | ವಿರೋಧ | ||
| It is sometimes used to denote 'contradiction' and 'disapproval', rather than merely 'opposition'. | |||
| Malayalam | എതിർപ്പ് | ||
| In Malayalam, "എതിർപ്പ്" not only means "opposition" but also "objection," "contradiction," and "resistance." | |||
| Marathi | विरोध | ||
| The Marathi word "विरोध" can also mean "disagreement" or "contradiction". | |||
| Nepali | विरोध | ||
| The word "विरोध" can also mean disagreement, protest, or contradiction. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਰੋਧ | ||
| The word "ਵਿਰੋਧ" ("opposition") in Punjabi comes from the Sanskrit word "विरोध" ("contradiction") and is also used to describe a disagreement or dispute. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විපක්ෂ | ||
| The word ''vipaksha'' is the combination of two words 'vi' meaning different or opposite and 'paksha' meaning direction. | |||
| Tamil | எதிர்ப்பு | ||
| The word "எதிர்ப்பு" also means "resistance" or "objection" depending on the context in which it is used. | |||
| Telugu | వ్యతిరేకత | ||
| Urdu | مخالفت | ||
| In Persian, it refers to the position of an astronomical object at the opposite house of its original position in the zodiac. | |||
Opposition in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 反对 | ||
| 反对 originally meant "block in the way". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 反對 | ||
| The character "反" in "反對" originally meant "to return" or "to go back". | |||
| Japanese | 反対 | ||
| "反対" can also mean "opposite" or "against" in different contexts. | |||
| Korean | 반대 | ||
| The Korean word "반대" (opposition) can also be translated as "contrast" or "opposite". | |||
| Mongolian | сөрөг хүчин | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အတိုက်အခံ | ||
Opposition in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | berlawanan | ||
| The Indonesian word "berlawanan" (opposition) also has the literal meaning of "facing" or "facing each other". | |||
| Javanese | oposisi | ||
| In Javanese, "oposisi" also refers to the second most important actor in a wayang kulit performance. | |||
| Khmer | ការប្រឆាំង | ||
| The Khmer word ការប្រឆាំង is cognate with Sanskrit प्रतिष्ठम्भः, which has a much broader meaning, "a check, hindrance, opposition." | |||
| Lao | ຝ່າຍຄ້ານ | ||
| Malay | penentangan | ||
| The word "penentangan" in Malay also refers to resistance to change. | |||
| Thai | ฝ่ายค้าน | ||
| The word "ฝ่ายค้าน" (opposition) in Thai can also refer to a traditional Siamese boxing technique. | |||
| Vietnamese | sự đối lập | ||
| The Vietnamese word "Sự đối lập" can also refer to a contrast or a contradiction. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagsalungat | ||
Opposition in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | müxalifət | ||
| The word "müxalifət" is derived from the Arabic word "mukhalafat", meaning "opposition, contradiction, or disagreement". | |||
| Kazakh | оппозиция | ||
| In Kazakh, "оппозиция" (oppozitsiya) can also refer to a "dispute" or "objection". | |||
| Kyrgyz | оппозиция | ||
| The term "оппозиция" is also used in Kyrgyzstan to describe people who are not in favor of the ruling government or its policies. | |||
| Tajik | мухолифин | ||
| According to the “Explanatory Dictionary of the Tajik language”, the word “мухолифин” (opposition) is derived from the Arabic word “холифин”, which means “caliph, successor.” | |||
| Turkmen | oppozisiýa | ||
| Uzbek | muxolifat | ||
| The word "muxolifat" also refers to the state of disagreement or hostility between two or more parties. | |||
| Uyghur | ئۆكتىچىلەر | ||
Opposition in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūʻēʻē | ||
| Kūʻēʻē is often mispronounced and translated as kua-ai-nai or kua-hee-na, where kua (back) and hina (gray, dusty) are combined to create the phrase "facing backward." | |||
| Maori | whakahee | ||
| The word "whakahee" can also mean "to oppose" or "to be in opposition to" something. | |||
| Samoan | tetee | ||
| The verb "tete" also means "to be against" or "to confront." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | oposisyon | ||
| The word 'oposisyon' originates from the Spanish word 'oposición', which refers to the opposing side in a debate, contest, or political system. | |||
Opposition in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | oposición uka tuqita | ||
| Guarani | oposición rehegua | ||
Opposition in International Languages
| Esperanto | opozicio | ||
| The Esperanto word "opozicio" comes from the same Latin root as the English word "opposite" and can also mean "contrast" or "diversity." | |||
| Latin | contra | ||
| The Latin word 'contra' can also mean 'against', 'opposite', or 'over against'. | |||
Opposition in Others Languages
| Greek | αντιπολίτευση | ||
| Αντιπολίτευση shares its root with 'πόλις' (polis), referring to an adversarial role within a city-state. | |||
| Hmong | qhov fab ntxeev | ||
| The word "qhov fab ntxeev" is derived from the root word "txeev," which means "against" or "defying." | |||
| Kurdish | liberrabû | ||
| The Kurdish word **liberrabû**, meaning "opposition", derives from the Arabic word **muʻāraḍa**, denoting "resistance". | |||
| Turkish | muhalefet | ||
| The Turkish word 'muhalefet' is derived from the Arabic word 'mukhalifa', meaning 'disagreement' or 'contradiction'. | |||
| Xhosa | inkcaso | ||
| The Xhosa word 'inkcaso' also means 'a different place', highlighting the idea of opposition as a separation in space. | |||
| Yiddish | אָפּאָזיציע | ||
| The Yiddish word 'אָפּאָזיציע' ('opposition') is derived from the Latin word 'oppositio', meaning 'action of setting against'. | |||
| Zulu | ukuphikiswa | ||
| Ukuphikiswa is derived from the verb 'phikisa', which means 'contradict', 'oppose', or 'disagree'. | |||
| Assamese | বিৰোধিতা | ||
| Aymara | oposición uka tuqita | ||
| Bhojpuri | विरोध के ओर से | ||
| Dhivehi | އިދިކޮޅު ފަރާތްތަކެވެ | ||
| Dogri | विरोध करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pagsalungat | ||
| Guarani | oposición rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | ibubusor | ||
| Krio | pipul dɛn we de agens am | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ئۆپۆزسیۆن | ||
| Maithili | विरोध | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯣꯄꯣꯖꯤꯁꯅꯒꯤ ꯃꯇꯥꯡꯗꯥ ꯋꯥꯐꯝ ꯊꯃꯈꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | dodalna lam hawi | ||
| Oromo | mormitoota | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିରୋଧୀ | ||
| Quechua | oposición nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | विरोधः | ||
| Tatar | оппозиция | ||
| Tigrinya | ተቓውሞ | ||
| Tsonga | ku kanetiwa | ||