meaning - What does "as opposed to" mean?

Can we say that the phrase "as opposed to" means:

instead of

or

Comparing to something?

Thanks.

Answer

"As opposed to" is generally comparing two things that are, at least, somewhat related. For example, if I were to say, "Karen likes blueberry pie, as opposed to Kenny, who likes cherry pie." I would use "As opposed to," instead of "instead of," or "comparing to something," because the first phrase, "Instead of," is used when there are (usually) two things being compared, but the speaker is choosing one of those two things to pick. For example: "I read the blue book instead of going to the park." Also, when using the phrase, "instead of" the two things being talked about don't necessarily need to be related, but they can. The second phrase, "Comparing to something," doesn't really have an example of use in a sentence that I personally can think of at the moment, but I think that there are examples of this being used in a sentence, although I hear it rarely.

I hope this helps!