contrast
[verb kuhn-trast, kon-trast; noun kon-trast]
- to compare in order to show unlikeness or differences; note the opposite natures, purposes, etc., of: Contrast the political rights of Romans and Greeks.
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- to exhibit unlikeness on comparison with something else; form a contrast.
- Linguistics. to differ in a way that can serve to distinguish meanings: The sounds (p) and (b) contrast in the words “pin” and “bin.”
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- the act of contrasting; the state of being contrasted.
- a striking exhibition of unlikeness.
- a person or thing that is strikingly unlike in comparison: The weather down here is a welcome contrast to what we're having back home.
- opposition or juxtaposition of different forms, lines, or colors in a work of art to intensify each element's properties and produce a more dynamic expressiveness.
- Photography. the relative difference between light and dark areas of a print or negative.
- Television. the brightness ratio of the lightest to the darkest part of the television screen image.
- Linguistics. a difference between linguistic elements, especially sounds, that can serve to distinguish meanings.
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Origin of contrast
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
comparisondiversitydisagreementdivergencevariationdisparitycontradictionoppositiondistinctioncontradictvarydivergeinversereversecontradistinctionantithesisconverseincompatibilityfoilinequalityExamples from the Web for contrast
Contemporary Examples
In contrast, Boehner's leadership team filed into his ceremonial office and greeted the teary newly-elected Speaker with hugs.
By contrast, John McCain, the eventual GOP nominee, had raised approximately $12.7 million in the first quarter of 2007 alone.
In contrast to Paul, Huckabee has never palled around with Al Sharpton.
By contrast, a gun will allow a pilot to attack hostile forces that are less than 300 feet from friendly ground forces.
By contrast, Solomon can tell us a great deal about what really changed the country—because at key moments, he was there.
Historical Examples
If mine is sad, I shall but look the gayer for the contrast.
The Prophetic Pictures (From "Twice Told Tales")Nathaniel Hawthorne
(b) In what ways should soup accompaniments be a contrast to the soup?
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Imagine what a contrast it would be to anything that she has ever seen!
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
What a contrast did the little village of Nant present to Le Vigan!
The Roof of FranceMatilda Betham-Edwards
And the early bedtime and the early morning and the long, long day—what a contrast to this!
The Bacillus of BeautyHarriet Stark
contrast
- (often foll by with) to distinguish or be distinguished by comparison of unlike or opposite qualities
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- 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)
- a person or thing showing notable differences when compared with another
- (in painting) the effect of the juxtaposition of different colours, tones, etc
- (of a photographic emulsion) the degree of density measured against exposure used
- 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
- 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
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Word Origin
C16: (n): via French from Italian, from contrastare (vb), from Latin contra- against + stare to stand
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for contrast
v.
1690s, from French contraster (Old French contrester), modified by or from Italian contrastare "stand out against, strive, contend," from Vulgar Latin *contrastare "to withstand," from Latin contra "against" (see contra) + stare "to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand" (see stet).
Middle English had contrest "to fight against, to withstand," which became extinct. Modern word re-introduced as an art term. Related: Contrasted; contrasting; contrastive.
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n.
1711, from contrast (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper