opposition-n; 5 Senses

Sense Number 1: an act of dissent, resistance, disagreement

Commentary: OPPOSITION[+action][+resistance][+dissent]
NOTE: this is a nominalization: his opposition to the idea -> he opposed the idea

Examples:
There was considerable opposition to Bob's proposal.
The regime cracked down against the merest threat of opposition to its policies.
The author examines the history of men's opposition to the emancipation of women in the U.S.
They'll encounter stiff opposition to this from the Democrats.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1, 3

Sense Number 2: abstract contrastive attributes between things

Commentary: OPPOSITION[+relation][+contrast][+conceptual][+logical/+linguistic/+attributive]

Examples:
The minimal pair 'bat' and 'pat' shows that 'b' and 'p' are in opposition in English, hence phonemes.
Logical propositions are said to be in opposition when they share subject and predicate but differ in quality or quantity.
The film's subtext explores the opposition between nature and culture.
The sharp citrus note in the dessert was an interesting opposition to the creamy sauce.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2, 6

Sense Number 3: a social body or individual that is a rival or adversary to something or someone

Commentary: OPPOSITION[+entity][+person][+adversary][+individual/+group]
NOTE: always refers to a person or group, -not- an action (Sense 1)

Examples:
Our opposition in the regional playoffs has a very strong defense.
Their major opposition has been the labor unions.
Mary's only opposition for the promotion to CEO was John. (he was the only other contender)
It was difficult for the soldiers to identify their opposition in the context of urban guerilla warfare.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 4, 5, 7

Sense Number 4: a political party not currently in power but vying for it

Commentary: OPPOSITION[+entity][+organization][+political][+party][+contesting]
NOTE: always refers to a political party that is out of power, but contending for it.
NOTE: a specialized, but high frequency, usage of Sense 3

Examples:
There will be election run-offs with the leader of the opposition.
The opposition has formulated a response to the president's State of the Union address.
A number of prominent party members have defected to the opposition because of the scandal.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 8

Sense Number 5: specific relative orientation of celestial bodies to each other

Commentary: OPPOSITION[+relation][+orientation][+astronomical][+bodies][+celestial]

Examples:
What do astrologers predict when Mars is in opposition to Jupiter?
The moon and Saturn will be in opposition tomorrow evening.

Mappings:
WordNet 0.0 Sense Numbers: 1e