Opponent əˈpəʊnənt Person Noun Political Worthy/Formidable/Fierce/Tough/Staunch Team's Unbeaten

• a political opponent
• a worthy/formidable/fierce/tough/staunch opponent
• the team's opponents are unbeaten so far this season.
• opponents of abortion

opponent

1. a person that you are playing or fighting against in a game, competition, argument, etc.
• SYNONYM adversary
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/adversary
• a political opponent
• a worthy/formidable/fierce/tough/staunch opponent
• The team's opponents are unbeaten so far this season.

Extra Examples

• He has knocked out 15 opponents in 20 fights.
• Today she faces her toughest opponent on Centre Court.
• He drew his sword and turned to face his opponent.
• She proved a formidable opponent in the debating chamber.
2. a person who is against something and tries to change or stop it
• opponents of abortion
• opponents of the regime
• the most outspoken opponents of the war
• Opponents argue that the scheme would be prohibitively expensive.
• There were violent clashes between supporters and opponents of the government.

Extra Examples

• The regime has been accused of torturing and killing its opponents.
• He has emerged as a leading opponent of the reforms.

Word Origin

• late 16th cent. (denoting a person opening an academic debate by proposing objections to a philosophical or religious thesis): from Latin opponent- ‘setting against’, from the verb opponere, from ob- ‘against’ + ponere ‘place’.