setting
Americannoun
-
the act of a person or thing that sets.
-
the surroundings or environment of anything.
The garden was a perfect setting for the house.
-
the mounting in which a jewel is set.
-
a group of all the articles, as of china, silver, or glass, required for setting a table or a single place at a table.
-
the locale or period in which the action of a novel, play, film, etc., takes place.
The setting of this story is Verona in the 15th century.
-
Also called stage setting. Also called stage set. the scenery and other properties used in a dramatic performance.
-
Music.
-
a piece of music composed for certain words.
-
a piece of music composed for a particular medium, or arranged for other than the original medium.
-
noun
-
the surroundings in which something is set; scene
-
the scenery, properties, or background, used to create the location for a stage play, film, etc
-
music a composition consisting of a certain text and music provided or arranged for it
-
the metal mounting and surround of a gem
diamonds in an antique gold setting
-
the tableware, cutlery, etc, for a single place at table
-
any of a series of points on a scale or dial that can be selected to control the level as of temperature, speed, etc, at which a machine functions
-
a clutch of eggs in a bird's nest, esp a clutch of hen's eggs
Synonym Usage
See environment.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of setting
First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English; see origin at set, -ing 1
Explanation
A setting is where something is set, or placed. If you want to propose to your beloved, try to choose a romantic setting. To set means to put in place, so a setting is a placement. If you are a jeweler, you will spend a lot of time making silver and gold settings for precious stones. Setting can also mean context. If you tell me that you spent the whole weekend cooing and clucking, before I decide that you’re crazy, you might explain to me that the setting of that clucking was the birth of all the little chicks on your friend’s farm.
Vocabulary lists containing setting
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“While we view the company as setting the correct priorities and taking prudent actions, we see little in today’s release that suggests near-term fundamentals are improving,” BNP Paribas analyst Max Gumport said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount Skydance, private equity firms RedBird and TPG, and Reddit co-creator Alexis Ohanian have also reportedly tossed their hats in the ring, setting up early sales meetings with Letterboxd.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
The government is also setting out to ensure protection for the intellectual capital of artists and media, with laws preventing companies using creative works to train AI without the artist’s control, he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Anita Woolnough was setting off for an early morning dog walk at 05:25 on Sunday when she first spotted police activity.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Finally, the setting sun, reddish orange, was filtering through the stable.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Young people aged 18-25 starting university or moving into residential further education settings for the first time in autumn 2026 are also eligible.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
"I was less surprised by the differences and more surprised by some of the similarities, particularly in the ways these risks are patterned across settings," Nichols said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
It would be possible to make the vehicle fully autonomous, Wedler said, but stressed that in complex humanitarian settings "we have to have a human in the loop".
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Yet these settings solve the hardest problem in friendship formation: proximity multiplied by repetition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The place settings and goblets were made of gold and were studded with precious gems.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
