Words / C2

AP-uh-zit/ˈæpəzɪt/

Apposite means exactly fitting the occasion or argument (formal): an apposite remark, apposite to the brief. Apt and suitable are everyday cousins; opposite is the cruel lookalike. Apposition is a grammar term. Do not call a long, loosely related quotation apposite.

Meaning

Very suitable for the occasion or argument (formal).

Examples

• “An apposite quotation from the protocol ended the waffle.”
• “An apposite line from the protocol ended the speech about “journey”.”
• “Apt is the everyday twin. Opposite is contrary. An opposite example is a contrast, not an apposite one. A decorative quote from a novel is seldom apposite in a methods row.”

Good to know

Apt; exactly fitting (formal). Everyday: apt / suitable. Mix-up: opposite. Grammar cousin: apposition. A loose quotation is not apposite.

Near in meaning

apt

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