Opposed means to be against something or to disagree with it. When you're opposed to a new school rule, you think it's a bad idea and don't want it to happen. When two people have opposing views on what movie to watch, they want different things.

The word can describe active resistance or simple disagreement. A town council member might be opposed to building a new highway through a park, speaking at meetings and voting against it. Or you might just feel quietly opposed to your friend's suggestion to walk home the long way.

Opposed differs from simply having a different opinion. It suggests you're on the other side of something. In debates, teams take opposing positions, with one arguing for and one arguing against a topic. In sports, opposing teams compete against each other.

You'll often see “as opposed to,” which means “instead of” or “in contrast to”: “I prefer reading fiction, as opposed to nonfiction.” This phrase highlights the difference between two choices.

When something is unopposed, nobody stands against it. An unopposed candidate for student council president wins automatically because no one else runs against them.