opposite number

noun

: a member of a system or class who holds relatively the same position as a particular member in a corresponding system or class : counterpart

Examples of opposite number in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

But after Raphinha scored to make it 0-4 to Barcelona in the first El Classico of the season, the demure Italian made a beeline for his opposite number, Hansi Flick, to wag a finger in his face. —

Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 At times Hard Truths also plays like the opposite number to Leigh’s 2008 comedy Happy Go Lucky, which featured Sally Hawkins as a relentlessly upbeat and friendly woman whose positivity ran at odds with the world around her. —

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2024 Walz competed for views with his opposite number, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), who is a fixture on the Sunday show circuit. —

Ivana Saric, Axios, 14 Oct. 2024 Cela’s opposite number, in some ways, was Ramón Sender, another of the novelists analyzed in Franco’s Crypt. —

Victor Pérez-Díaz, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2013 See all Example Sentences for opposite number

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of opposite number was in 1874

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Opposite number.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opposite%20number. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation