Meaning
as opposed to means “in contrast to,” “rather than,” or “as the opposite of.”
It highlights a clear difference between two things.
Grammar and Usage
- as opposed to + noun / gerund / clause
- Used to compare two contrasting ideas.
- Can appear in the middle or at the beginning of a sentence.
Patterns:
- A as opposed to B
- As opposed to B, A …
Common Phrases
- as opposed to A
- prefer A as opposed to B
- in contrast to A as opposed to B
- A increased as opposed to B
Collocations
- prefer A as opposed to B
- choose A as opposed to B
- highlight A as opposed to B
- contrast A as opposed to B
Examples
- I prefer staying home as opposed to going out late at night.
- The new model focuses on efficiency as opposed to raw power.
- Sales rose in the U.S. as opposed to a decline in Europe.
- She likes working individually as opposed to in large teams.
- They chose quality as opposed to quantity.
- The company invested in renewable energy as opposed to fossil fuels.
- He enjoys quiet vacations as opposed to busy city trips.
- The results show improvement as opposed to last year’s figures.
Synonyms or Related
- rather than
- instead of
- in contrast to
- unlike
Antonym
- similar to
- in line with
- consistent with