associate vs opponent

associate

noun
  • One that habitually accompanies or is associated with another; an attendant circumstance. 

  • A companion; a comrade. 

  • A person united with another or others in an act, enterprise, or business; a partner. 

  • One of a pair of elements of an integral domain (or a ring) such that the two elements are divisible by each other (or, equivalently, such that each one can be expressed as the product of the other with a unit). 

  • Somebody with whom one works, coworker, colleague. 

  • A member of an institution or society who is granted only partial status or privileges. 

verb
  • To connect or join together; combine. 

  • To join as a partner, ally, or friend. 

  • To endorse. 

  • To join in or form a league, union, or association. 

  • To spend time socially; keep company. 

  • To be associative. 

  • To connect evidentially, or in the mind or imagination. 

adj
  • Joined with another or others and having lower status. 

  • Having partial status or privileges. 

  • Following or accompanying; concomitant. 

opponent

noun
  • One who opposes another in words (in a dispute, argument or controversy). 

  • The participant who opens an academic debate by putting forward objections to a theological or philosophical thesis. 

  • One who opposes another; one who works or takes a position against someone or something; one who attempts to stop the progress of someone or something. 

  • One who is opposed or objects (to a policy, course of action or set of ideas). 

  • One who opposes another physically (in a fight, sport, game, or competition). 

How often have the words associate and opponent occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )