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

Interracial relationships throw this into high relief, pushing cultural and racial differences to the fore⁠—the key edges of those puzzle pieces.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2022

“But it was the sadness of an artist, a sadness tinged with languor and a sadness against which his artistry stood out in high relief in a manner that was quite extraordinary.”

From New York Times ● May 3, 2022

This is one of the finest sixteenth century walnutwood carvings, or rather sculptures in high relief, in Europe, and is complete and uninjured.

From Notable Women Authors of the Day Biographical Sketches by Black, Helen C.