contrasty

American

[kuhn-tras-tee, kon-tras-] / kənˈtræs ti, ˈkɒn træs- /

adjective

Photography.

(of a subject, photograph, or film stock) having or producing a preponderance of dark and light tones with few intermediate shades.

contrasty British

/ kənˈtrɑːstɪ /

adjective

(of a photograph or subject) having sharp gradations in tone, esp between light and dark areas

"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

Etymology

Origin of contrasty

First recorded in 1890–95; contrast + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

contrasty

It handles contrasty light well, and the lens coating repels droplets when shooting in and near water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2022

Photos in dim and low light sometimes look overly smoothed and other times look dark and contrasty.

From The Verge ● May 3, 2022

Pascale Granel’s contrasty black and white super 16mm cinematography is a lush visual delight, the highlights sparkling against the blackest blacks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2018

I found the film transfer a bit too contrasty for my tastes with too much grain.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 17, 2015

Pictures flash in an increasingly contrasty and grainy format until they are hardly recognizable.

From "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023