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

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

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have contrasted
  perfect
• has contrasted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are contrasting
  progressive
• am contrasting
  progressive 1st person singular
• contrasting
  participle
• contrasts
  singular 3rd person
• is contrasting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been contrasting
  perfect progressive
• has been contrasting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had contrasted
  perfect
• were contrasting
  progressive plural
• contrasted
  participle
• contrasted
  simple
• had been contrasting
  perfect progressive
• was contrasting
  progressive singular

Future

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

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

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

By contrast, younger workers are likely to be happier in the office, says Jim Harter, chief scientist of workplace management and well-being at Gallup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

That’s in sharp contrast to Northern California, which saw a record-breaking March heat wave melt mountain snowpack early.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026

By contrast, the iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF’s 10 biggest weights were dominated by Big Tech stocks as of June 11.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026

"By contrast, our protein beads remain stable for a long time."

From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026

It was an abundant contrast to the meager food rations in Nazi Germany.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

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