high relief

American  

noun

Sculpture.

1. sculptured relief in which volumes are strongly projected from the background.

---

high relief British  

noun

1. Also called: alto-relievo.  relief in which forms and figures stand out from the background to half or more than half of their natural depth

---

Etymology

Origin of high relief

First recorded in 1875–80

Compare meaning

How does high-relief compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• high relief vs. low relief

Example Sentences

This stark dichotomy puts Amina, stunningly sung and acted by Nadine Sierra, into high relief on stage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

Winkler’s affective shortcomings throw his social anxiety and bouts of verbal diarrhea into high relief.

From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2023

The cities’ differences were in high relief at high school graduation.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2021

Staying home all the time has really thrown into high relief how much *work* it is to go out into the world and perform appropriate femininity.

From Slate • Jun. 14, 2021

This was gorgeous in decorations of black and gold, which threw into high relief the picturesque costumes and coloring of Colonial days.

From Historic Fredericksburg The Story of an Old Town by Goolrick, John T.