“against” in Latin

direction toward, adversus: in with ablative (after expressions of hate, displeasure, anger, against anybody). The hatred of the people against this man was so great, in hoc tantum fuit odium multitudinis. So saevitiam exercere in aliquo; vim adhibere in aliquo (to use violence against him).

Direction with the notion of opposition to: (a) Of departure from, excess above a limit: praeter, e.g., against expectation (not contra, but) praeter opinionem. So praeter spem: secus ac speraveram (against, i. e., worse than my hope and expectation): praeter jus fasque; praeter alicujus voluntatem (but also contra legem, contra alicujus voluntatem, of direct intentional opposition to them). To act against a law, legem violare or migrare: against one’s will, invitus (adjective) against the will of Caius, Caio invito. (b) Of hostile opposition: contra, adversus, in with accusative: against the stream, adverso flumine; contra aquam [Vid: STREAM]: against the wind, vento adverso (navigare): the wind is against anybody (naviganti) alicui veotus adversum tenet. A remedy against anything, remedium adversus aliquid (that works against it; e.g., adversus venenum): remediam alicujus rei or ad quod (that is good for any disease; e.g. morbi timoris, ad oculorum morbos). To write against anybody, contra aliquem scribere: in, adversus aliquem scribere: librum edere contra aliquem (of publishing against anybody): to speak (i. e., as an orator) against anybody, contra aliquem dicere: aliquid in aliquem dicere (to say anything against anybody): to strive against anybody, adversus aliquem contendere: to argue against anything, contra aliquid disserere. To help against anything [Vid: HELP]. Against, after a substantive, must be translated by a participle or relative sentence: e.g., the speech against Socrates, oratio contra Socratem habita; oratio quae habita est contra Socratem: the war against the Persians, bellum contra Persas gestum: bellum quod contra Persas gestum est. To sin against anybody, peccare in aliquem. To excite the people against anybody, populum inflammare in aliquem: to be against anybody, facere contra aliquem (of the opposite party): dissidere cum aliquo (to be of a different opinion): to fight against anybody, pugnare contra aliquem (exadversus aliquem is, opposite him in the enemy’s ranks): to fight for life and death against anybody, dimicare adversus aliquem. Sometimes “against” is translated by cum to mark the mutual relation of two parties (e.g., pugnare, queri, querelae cum aliquo). The poor can make good no rights against the rich, nihil cum potentiore juris bumanirelinquitur inopi. After verbs of defence, etc. (tegere, munire, tutum esse, etc.), against is generally translated by a, ab (as in English by “from,” i. e., with respect to danger proceeding from such a quarter); e.g., vasa a frigoribus munire; forum defendere a Clodio; but they also use adversus or contra, if the “against” is to be strongly marked; e.g., munire adversus or contra aliquid (Sall., Jugurtha, 89, 4; Cic. ad Div., 4, 14, .3): se defendere contra aliquid: aliquem defendere contra inimicos. To match a combatant against another, comparare aliquem alicui (Suet., Calig., 35): committere aliquem cum aliquo (Ter.).

Opposite to, Vid:

Of an object against which anything is done: after a verb of motion: ad, in. To run against anybody, incurrere in aliquem: to strike, dash, knock one’s self against anything, aliquid ad aliquid offendere (e.g., caput ad fornicem, Quint.): offendere aliquid (e. g, scutum, Liv.): offendere in aliquid (e.g., in stipitem, Col.): the waves beat against the shore, fluctus illiduntur in litore or in litus (Quint., doubtful reading).

Against = close by or to: juxta. Vid: BY. To put a ladder up against a wall, scalar ad murum applicare: lean against. Vid: LEAN.

Of time, by which anything is to be done, in (with accusative), ad. sub (a little before): focum lignis exstruere sub adventum lassi viri (Hor.).

For and against, in utramque partem: with respect to my journey, many reasons occur to me for and against it, permulta mihi de itinere nostro in utramque partem occurrunt (Cic.). Like other prepositions, it may often be untranslated, the notion of it being already contained in the verb, e.g., by a compound with ob. To rail against anybody, alicui conviciari (with dative in Quint. only): aliquem increpitare: to lean against anything, acclinari alicui rei: to run against anybody or anything, offendere aliquem or aliquid: to struggle against the stream, obluctari flumini (Curt.): to fight against anybody, oppugnare aliquem: to be against anybody, adversari alicui.