confrontadas

Confrontadas is the feminine plural past participle of the verb confrontar in Portuguese, and it is used as an adjective or in the passive voice to describe entities that have been faced with or brought into a position of opposition or scrutiny. The term is commonly found in formal, journalistic, and legal language, where it refers to subjects that are subjected to comparison, challenge, or conflict.

Etymology and form: Confrontar comes from Latin and is related to the idea of bringing two things face to face. As a participle, confrontada (feminine singular), confrontadas (feminine plural), confrontado (masculine singular), and confrontados (masculine plural) agree with the noun they modify in gender and number. Confrontadas specifically denotes feminine plural nouns or groups.

Usage and nuance: In Portuguese, confrontadas often appears with prepositional phrases such as "confrontadas com" or "confrontadas pela" to indicate the source of the confrontation, evidence, or opposing forces. Examples include: “as políticas confrontadas pela oposição” (the policies confronted by the opposition) and “testemunhas confrontadas com novas provas” (witnesses confronted with new evidence). The term emphasizes the act of facing or challenging rather than simply existing in conflict, and it can be close in meaning to but not identical to “enfrentadas” or “opostas.”

See also: Confrontação, Confrontação verbal, Confrontamento, Enfrentamento. These related terms cover various aspects of opposition, challenge, and face-to-face interaction in Portuguese.