Oppositionists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who actively oppose a certain policy or ideology within a political context
2. Members of a group that resists or challenges the current ruling party or government
3. Persons who advocate for alternatives and counterarguments to prevailing opinions or decisions

Etymology: Oppositionists is the plural of "oppositionist", a noun formed in English by adding the suffix "-ist" to "opposition". The suffix has a long pedigree: it was inherited from Ancient Greek "-istēs", which named practitioners or adherents, passed through Latin "-ista" and Old French "-iste", and entered English as "-ist" in the Middle Ages. Its job is to turn a noun into a person who follows or belongs to a particular cause or practice, so "oppositionist" describes someone committed to opposing. "Opposition" itself comes from Latin "oppositio", from "opponere", meaning to set against or place in front of. The two parts together, then, give a plain sense of people who stand against something. The plural "oppositionists" simply names several such people, most often a group organised against a ruling party or government.