contextual

[kuh n-teks-choo-uh l]

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adjective

of, relating to, or depending on the context.

Origin of contextual

1805–15; < Latin contextu-, stem of contextus context + -al¹

Related formscon·tex·tu·al·ly, adverbnon·con·tex·tu·al, adjectivenon·con·tex·tu·al·ly, adverb

Can be confusedcontextual contractual

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for contextual

circumstantial, dependent, provisional, environmental, contingent

Examples from the Web for contextual

Contemporary Examples of contextual

I could take my time with it and they offered a lot of contextual clues to understand the language.
New Yorker Covers You Weren’t Meant to See
Jorge Colombo
May 7, 2012

Historical Examples of contextual

The keenness of the polemic, in this and in the contextual chapters, shows how real and imminent the danger was.
Expositions of Holy Scripture
Alexander Maclaren

British Dictionary definitions for contextual

contextual

adjective

relating to, dependent on, or using contextcontextual criticism of a book

Derived Formscontextually, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for contextual

adj.

c.1820, from context on model of textual, etc. In philosophy, contextual definition is recorded from 1934, along with contextualization, contextualize. Related: Contextualized.