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Showing results for set against. Search instead for set+against.
Synonyms

set against

British  

verb

  1. to balance or compare

    to set a person's faults against his virtues

  2. to cause to be hostile or unfriendly to

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
set against Idioms  

  1. Be or cause someone to be opposed to, as in Civil wars often set brother against brother, or The police chief's critics were set against his officers. [Late 1200s] Also see dead set against.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Moon appeared to them as a black orb surrounded by a halo of light, all set against the backdrop of the vast darkness of space.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The British, while struggling desperately to keep India from dividing along sectarian lines before and during World War II, were set against the revival of the caliphate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

The word — in big white letters, set against layers of blue — appears toward the top of the mural, on the store’s brick wall facing Lake.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Alcaraz raced through the opening set against Royer, breaking twice without facing a break point.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

The other side of the amphitheater was set against what looked like a giant, wrinkled brown wall.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.