に対して is generally used with the sense of "in contrast to" or "in regard to/
toward to"; however I never understood if the difference can only be infered
by the context or there is a difference in patter. Usually when it has the
meaning of "in opposition to" it seems that is preceded by の, like in のに対して,
but I am not sure if it is a rule or just a coincidence.

In the following sentences I believe it means "in contrast":

外遊びが好きな長男のに対して、次男は家の中で遊ぶことが好きだ。

昨日は大阪では大雨だったのに対して、東京はいい天気だった。
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2020-07-10T17:10:32.913
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2020-07-15T07:43:36.877
2020-07-11T07:40:47.180
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question
grammar
The different meanings of に対して
The main concept of 「対する」 is that two things face each other, and I think the
meaning is derived metaphorically.

When the two things are of opposite nature, the English translation of "in
opposition to" or "in contrast" fit the context (rain in Osaka vs. sunny in
Tokyo in your sample). When the two things are in subject-object relation or
source-target relation (question/answer in 「質問に対する答え」), the translation can be
"in regard to".
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2020-07-15T07:43:36.877
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2020-07-15T07:43:36.877
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answer