set against

British  

verb

1. to balance or compare

   to set a person's faults against his virtues

2. to cause to be hostile or unfriendly to

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set against Idioms  

1. Be or cause someone to be opposed to, as in Civil wars often set brother against brother, or The police chief's critics were set against his officers. [Late 1200s] Also see dead set against.

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Example Sentences

It’s deceptively conventional, with an axial structure and a conglomerate of relatively full chroma set against an off-white background.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

The book is about colonisation and devastation, set against a backdrop of families left to die of starvation on estates owned by British aristocrats and landowners.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Their songs weave in Irish lilting, set against a lively mix of drums, fiddles, flutes, harps, banjos, cello and concertina - skills honed over years of playing house parties, pub céilís and traditional festivals.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

Hawaii rallied to take an early 11-7 lead in the first set against Long Beach Saturday night.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026

It was covered with yellowish rocks and the whitest asphodels set against the already hard blue of the sky.

From "The Stranger" by Albert Camus

Related Words

• analyze
• contrast
• correlate
• equal
• match
• measure
• study