high relief

American  

noun

Sculpture.

1. sculptured relief in which volumes are strongly projected from the background.

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high relief British  

noun

1. Also called: alto-relievo.  relief in which forms and figures stand out from the background to half or more than half of their natural depth

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Etymology

Origin of high relief

First recorded in 1875–80

Compare meaning

How does high-relief compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• high relief vs. low relief

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

high relief

This stark dichotomy puts Amina, stunningly sung and acted by Nadine Sierra, into high relief on stage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025

All those rights were thrown into high relief by the bankruptcy filing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025

But confronting what you specifically don’t like about working with this anti-mentor can cast what you prioritize most into high relief.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2024

Unearthly figures appear on them too, but as disembodied faces shaped in high relief.

From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2023

Alto-relievo, Alto-rilievo, alt′o-re-lē′vo, n. high relief: figures projected by at least half their thickness from the background on which they are sculptured.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various