Webster Essential Vocabulary

opponent(uh POH nint) n.a person against one in a fight, argument, debate, etc.

• The navy will carry the fight to our opponent.


• The opponentssat across the chess board from each other.


• Sometimes we must sit down with our opponentsand try to work things out.
  [Syn. adversary, enemy, foe]
  opportunity(AHP oer TOO ni tee orAHP oer TYOO ni tee) n.1. a good
  chance; 2. a set of circumstances favorable to


• Every person deserves an opportunityto succeed.


• Billy is looking for an opportunityfor advancement.


• The United States has been called the land of opportunity.
  [opportunities pl.]

Quick Review #59.

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.

O: SAT Words 169

1. obdurate


2. oblique


3. obscurity


4. observation


5. obsessiveness


6. obstacle


7. obstreperous


8. offensive


9. office


10. onerous


11. opponent


12. opportunity

a. remark

b. repugnant

c. barrier

d. burdensome

e. vociferous

f. position

g. vagueness

h. preoccupation

i. adversary

j. slanted

k. chance

l. stubborn

oppression*(uh PRESH in) n.1. a weighing heavily on the mind, spirit, or soul;
worry; troubling; 2. a keeping down by cruel or unjust use of power; 3. a feeling of
being weighed down as with worries or problems

• Oppressioncan have a paralyzing effect on a person’s ability to act.


• The oppressionof slavery was a terrible weight on many Americans prior to
  the Civil War.


• The oppressionof separate-but-equal educational opportunities that were
  inherently unequal was not legally terminated until almost a century after
  the Civil War.
  [oppressive adj., oppressively adv.]