context

American  

[kon-tekst] / ˈkɒn tɛkst /

noun

contexts plural

1. the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect.

   You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.

2. the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc.

   Synonyms:

   climate, milieu, background

3. Mycology. the fleshy fibrous body of the pileus in mushrooms.

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context British  

/ ˈkɒntɛkst /

noun

1. the parts of a piece of writing, speech, etc, that precede and follow a word or passage and contribute to its full meaning

   it is unfair to quote out of context

2. the conditions and circumstances that are relevant to an event, fact, etc

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Usage

What is context? Context is a noun that means the parts of a statement that immediately precede or follow a specific section of the statement and help explain that section. The context of a specific text clarifies the meaning of that text, as in When the politician was asked to apologize for lying, he claimed that he had been quoted out of context and that he wasn’t actually lying. Context is also the conditions related to an event or situation that helps a person understand the event or situation. Conditions can include surroundings (where something took place), circumstances (what else was happening at the time), and background (such as events that happened before). For example, the context of a historical event, such as what else was happening at the time and how people understood their environment, can help us better understand the event itself. One common expression that uses word context is context clues. Context clues are hints within a piece of writing that help us understand something unfamiliar, such as a word. For example, if you came across the word ethereal in a text, context clues could help you figure out that it means "delicate" and "beautiful." Another common expression that includes the word context is out of context. This expression is used to explain that the reason people understood a statement or text incorrectly was because the statement was removed from its surrounding text, which distorted its meaning. Example: Understanding the historical and scientific contexts of the Romantic period are essential to understanding Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.”

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• contextless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contexts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of context

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin contextus “a joining together, scheme, structure,” past participle of contexere “to join by weaving,” equivalent to con- con- + texere “to plait, weave”; cf. text

Explanation

Context means the setting of a word or event. If your friend is furious at you for calling her your worst enemy, remind her that the context of those remarks was Opposite Day. Context comes from the Latin for how something is made. It was first used to talk about writing, as in "the beautiful phrase occurs in the context of the concluding paragraph." We use it now to talk about any circumstance in which something happens. You might say that you can't understand what happens without looking at the context. When someone takes your words but makes it sound like you meant something else, they've taken your words out of context.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

context contexts

It’s important to put these dramatic share-price reversals into context.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

As indeed it is, with one crisis after another implausibly resolved but acceptable in context.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

The lyrics mention muddy water and Natchez, Miss., and he adds wailing fills on the instrument officially known as a harmonica but which in this context is usually called a “harp.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

The emotional tone of each vocal performance is beautifully keyed to each song’s context.

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026

In other words, we do not know how to classify it, how to put it into its proper context, because it seems to point in several directions at once.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

"We are planning on further extending the experimental methods to delve deeper into different systems on our planet in different contexts, the possibilities are, quite literally, out of this world," says Noto.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

They were able to exploit a new database that extends back to 1799, and which I have written about before in other contexts.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

"But having said that, we know that pressure waves are a well-established cause of brain injury, both short and long-term in other contexts."

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Every year brings new versions and contexts, each one extending the song’s reach.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Most mathematicians—Galileo, Pascal, Descartes, Newton—were familiar with the word’s use in technical astronomy, and tended to avoid it in other contexts.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• background
• situation
• text