contrast

American  

[kuhn-trast, kon-trast, kon-trast] / kənˈtræst, ˈkɒn træst, ˈkɒn træst /

verb (used with object)

• contrasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• contrasted,
  past participle,  past
• contrasting
  present participle

1. 

   to compare in order to show unlikeness or differences; note the opposite natures, purposes, etc., of.

   Contrast the political rights of Romans and Greeks.

   Synonyms:

   oppose, distinguish, discriminate, differentiate

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verb (used without object)

• contrasts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• contrasted,
  past participle,  past
• contrasting
  present participle

1. to show striking difference when compared with or viewed alongside something else.

   Youth leadership on the issue contrasts with government inaction.

   The blue of the wood trim contrasts nicely with the pale yellow walls.

2. Linguistics. to differ in a way that can serve to distinguish meanings.

   The sounds (p) and (b) contrast in the words “pin” and “bin.”

noun

• contrasts
  plural

1. a striking difference.

   The study revealed interesting contrasts between people who regularly read books and those who don't.

2. a person or thing that is strikingly different in comparison.

   The weather down here is a welcome contrast to what we're having back home.

3. opposition or juxtaposition of different formal elements in a work of art, music, or literature to intensify each element's properties and make the work more dynamically expressive.

   The artist makes effective use of color contrast in the illustrations.

   There’s a stark contrast of tempo in the sonata’s two movements.

4. the act of comparing people or things so as to draw attention to striking differences between them.

   Each essay topic involves the contrast of two of the novels studied in the course.

5. Photography. the relative difference between light and dark areas of a print, digital photograph, or negative.

6. the brightness ratio of the lightest to the darkest part of the screen image on a television, computer, or other electronic device.

7. Linguistics. a difference between linguistic elements, especially sounds, that can serve to distinguish meanings.

idioms

1. stand in contrast to / with, to show a striking difference when compared to or with.

   The actor’s on-screen gun violence stands in contrast to her real-life persona as an advocate for gun control.

2. in contrast, in comparison to something that is the opposite or strikingly different in some respect.

   In contrast to personal computers, which are rare in that country, cell phones are widely available and even most children have their own.

3. by contrast. see by contrast.

4. compare and contrast. see compare and contrast.

contrast British  

verb

1. (often foll by with) to distinguish or be distinguished by comparison of unlike or opposite qualities

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noun

1. distinction or emphasis of difference by comparison of opposite or dissimilar things, qualities, etc (esp in the phrases by contrast, in contrast to or with )

2. a person or thing showing notable differences when compared with another

3. (in painting) the effect of the juxtaposition of different colours, tones, etc

4. 1. (of a photographic emulsion) the degree of density measured against exposure used

   2. the extent to which adjacent areas of an optical image, esp on a television screen or in a photographic negative or print, differ in brightness

5. psychol the phenomenon that when two different but related stimuli are presented close together in space and/or time they are perceived as being more different than they really are

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• contrastable
  adjective
• contrasting
  adjective
• contrastive
  adjective
• quasi-contrasted
  adjective
• uncontrastable
  adjective
• uncontrasted
  adjective
• uncontrasting
  adjective
• well-contrasted
  adjective
• contrastably
  adverb
• contrastingly
  adverb
• contrastively
  adverb
• uncontrastably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contrasts
  plural

Participles

• contrasting
  present
• contrasted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• contrast
  simple
• contrasts
  simple
• have contrasted
  perfect
• has contrasted
  perfect
• am contrasting
  progressive
• are contrasting
  progressive
• is contrasting
  progressive
• have been contrasting
  perfect progressive
• has been contrasting
  perfect progressive

Past

• contrasted
  simple
• had contrasted
  perfect
• was contrasting
  progressive
• were contrasting
  progressive
• had been contrasting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will contrast
  simple
• will have contrasted
  perfect
• will be contrasting
  progressive
• will have been contrasting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of contrast

First recorded in 1480–90; (for the verb) from Middle French contraster, from Italian contrastare “to contest,” from Latin contrā- contra- ¹ ( def. ) + stāre “to stand” ( cf. status); (for the noun) earlier contraste, from French, from Italian contrasto “conflict,” derivative of contrastare

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Explanation

The verb contrast means to show a difference, like photos that reveal how much weight someone lost by contrasting the "before" and "after" shots. You probably know contrast in its relation to compare. To contrast something is to look for differences among two or more elements, but compare is to do the opposite, to look for similarities. It's easy to tell the difference if you remember that contrast comes from the Latin root contra, and means "against." Contrast is also a noun meaning basically the same thing — you might notice the contrast of a dark tree against a snow-covered hill.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contrast contrasts contrasted contrasting

Hull, in contrast, will be relishing this after the start they have made.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Her 2026 LP “Middle of Nowhere,” by contrast, is back in a classic mode of artful, often hilarious bangers about the loneliness of small town life and dating at the edge of 40.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

In stark contrast, Chris Sutton branded his former side as "flat-track bullies".

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The OCC noted that, in contrast, the big banks were “often finding ways to retain highly lucrative, existing bank clients” in wealth management even if they had public issues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

She had just the type of tree in mind: a pretty birch tree with its wild orange leaves in contrast over white bark.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Although the contrasts between the two hemispheres are clearly visible at the surface and within the crust, scientists have been uncertain whether similar differences extend deep into the lunar mantle.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Locals must now display address numbers visible from the street, at least 4 inches tall and 0.5 inches wide, and in a color that contrasts with their background.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Absent the top of the internet bubble, the contrasts plotted in the accompanying chart would be even bigger.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

The speed of the technology’s advancement contrasts starkly with how humans actually shop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Stimulated by the sights and smells, you realise that you have arrived in a land of contrasts.

From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

Her rhetoric about being a submissive housewife contrasted with her role as TPUSA’s CEO.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

It contrasted the clip with one of a young female athlete in a saffron tunic—a color associated with Hinduism—receiving an award from the country’s president.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

That contrasted with some other high-profile names, who Haas have continued to outperform this year.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

She contrasted the magazine's photo with the "deaths caused by five heatwaves, a drought, and historic wildfires."

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Not exactly beautiful, but her blue eyes and pert snub nose gave her a catlike quality that contrasted with her robust, athletic movements.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Luxury-fashion company Brunello Cucinelli BC 0.63%increase; up pointing triangle again lifted its sales expectations for the full year on the back of continued momentum, contrasting with lackluster performance elsewhere in Europe’s luxury-goods sector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Together, the contrasting colors of mountains, farmland, islands, and surrounding seas create a vivid portrait of Italy as seen from space.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Different rooms are said to explore contrasting sensations, with some emphasizing touch, sound or visuals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

Outside his neighborhood, dozens of freshly painted jacks stand out along the roadside, their bright colors contrasting with the deteriorating streets nearby.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

We have now considered examples of three contrasting areas, in all of which food production did arise indigenously.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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Related Words

• comparison
• contradiction
• disagreement
• disparity
• distinction
• divergence
• diversity
• opposition
• variation

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