contrast

con·trast

Use contrast in a sentence

Striking contrast between the clouds and the clear blue sky.

noun

The definition of contrast is the difference between two objects, people or places.
An example of contrast is thunder storms on one end of an island and clear, blue skies on the other end.

verb

Contrast means to compare in order to show differences.
An example of contrast is to explain the differences between the causes of World War I and World War II.

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"contrast." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTRAST>.

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contrast. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTRAST

contrast

to compare so as to point out the differences; set off against one another

Origin of contrast

French contraster from Italian and Vulgar Latin an unverified form contrastare, to withstand from Classical Latin contra, against + stare, to stand

to show differences when compared; form a contrast

a contrasting or being contrasted
a difference, esp. a striking difference, between things being compared
a person or thing showing differences when compared with another
the effect of a striking difference, as in color or tone, of adjacent parts of a painting, photograph, video-screen image, etc.

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"contrast." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTRAST>.

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contrast. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTRAST

contrast

verb

con·trast·ed, con·trast·ing, con·trasts

verb

transitive

To set in opposition in order to show or emphasize differences: an essay that contrasts city and country life; contrasted this computer with inferior models.

verb

intransitive

To show differences when compared: siblings who contrast sharply in interests and abilities; a color that contrasted clearly with the dark background.
Linguistics To evince a difference that can distinguish meaning: Voiced and voiceless stops contrast in English but not in Cree.

noun

a. The act of contrasting; a setting off of dissimilar entities or objects.
b. The state of being contrasted: red berries standing in vivid contrast against the snow.
A difference, especially a strong dissimilarity, between entities or objects compared: the contrast between Northern and Southern speech patterns.
One thing that is strikingly dissimilar to another: My new school was a welcome contrast to the one before.
The use of opposing elements, such as colors, forms, or lines, in proximity to produce an intensified effect in a work of art.
The difference in brightness between the light and dark areas of a picture, such as a photograph or video image.
Linguistics A difference between units, especially one that distinguishes meaning.

Origin of contrast

French contraster from Italian contrastare from Medieval Latin contrāstāre Latin contrā- contra- Latin stāre to stand ; see stā- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

con·trast′a·ble
adjective

con·trast′ing·ly
adverb

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"contrast." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTRAST>.

APA Style

contrast. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTRAST

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural contrasts)

(countable) A difference in lightness, brightness and/or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.
(uncountable) The degree of this difference.
The red and the orange don't have much contrast between them — I can hardly tell them apart.
(countable) A difference between two objects, people or concepts.
Israel is a country of many contrasts.
(countable) A control on a television, etc, that adjusts the amount of contrast in the images being displayed.
(countable, uncountable, rhetoric) Antithesis.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present contrasts, present participle contrasting, simple past and past participle contrasted)

To set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between.
(intransitive) To form a contrast.
Foreground and background strongly contrast.

Origin

From French contraster, from Italian contrastare (“to resist", "to withstand”), from Vulgar Latin, from Latin contra (“against”) + stare (“to stand”)

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"contrast." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTRAST>.

APA Style

contrast. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CONTRAST

contrast - Computer Definition

The white level of a display screen. The contrast adjusts how bright the white is. See brightness and contrast ratio.

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