1. A muscle that opposes or counteracts the action of another muscle; specifically, any of several muscles in the hand or foot that draw a digit toward the palm or sole.
Usage: anatomy; technical; often used in plural form 'opponentes' or as part of anatomical names (e.g., opponens pollicis, opponens digiti minimi)

Examples

• The opponens pollicis muscle allows the thumb to move across the palm.
• In anatomy class, students learned about the opponens digiti minimi in the hand.
• The opponens muscles are essential for gripping and manipulating objects.
• Damage to the opponens pollicis can impair thumb opposition.
• The opponens muscles work in opposition to the abductor muscles.