unlike, in contrast to, as opposed to

[Dutch phrase of the week]

"Tegenstelling" is composed of "tegen" and "stelling", which respectively translate to "against/counter" and "position/statement". Hence, "tegenstelling" literally translates to "counter position": a contrast. The idiom "In tegenstelling tot" literally translates to "in contrast to", but also to "unlike" or "as opposed to", depending on context.

Examples:
- "In tegenstelling tot gisterochtend, had ik vandaag geen vertraging met de trein." 
("Unlike yesterday morning, my train wasn't delayed today." Lit.: "…I didn't have delay with the train.")

- "In tegenstelling tot wat velen geloofden, heeft Nederland gewonnen van Brazilië!" 
("In contrast to what many believed, the Netherlands won against Brasil!")

- "In tegenstelling tot de meeste Nederlanders, ben ik faliekant tegen het nationale gedoogbeleid voor softdrugs." – "Zeurkous…" 
("Unlike most Dutch, I'm completely against the national policy on soft drugs." – "Nag…")

Expressions:
- "Integendeel": on the contrary.

Example:
- "Hoe gaat het jongen? Nog steeds kommer en kwel?" – "Integendeel! Alles loopt op rolletjes!"
("What's up buddy? All sorrow and misery still?" – "On the contrary! Everything goes like clockwork!")

Related words:
- Tegen: against [preposition].

Example:
- "Roze behang in de slaapkamer?
Daar ben ik faliekant tegen!" 
("Pink
wallpaper in the bedroom? I'm totally against that!")

- Stelling: thesis, position, statement [noun] [de stelling, de stellingen].