setting

[set-ing]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that sets.

2. the surroundings or environment of anything.

   The garden was a perfect setting for the house.

3. the mounting in which a jewel is set.

4. a group of all the articles, as of china, silver, or glass, required for setting a table or a single place at a table.

5. 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.

6. Also called stage setting. Also called stage set. the scenery and other properties used in a dramatic performance.

7. Music.

   1. a piece of music composed for certain words.

   2. a piece of music composed for a particular medium, or arranged for other than the original medium.

setting

/ ˈsɛtɪŋ /

noun

1. the surroundings in which something is set; scene

2. the scenery, properties, or background, used to create the location for a stage play, film, etc

3. music a composition consisting of a certain text and music provided or arranged for it

4. the metal mounting and surround of a gem

   diamonds in an antique gold setting

5. the tableware, cutlery, etc, for a single place at table

6. 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

7. a clutch of eggs in a bird's nest, esp a clutch of hen's eggs

Other Word Forms

• nonsetting adjective
• unsetting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of setting¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English; set, -ing ¹

Synonym Study

See environment.

Example Sentences

Her jokes included a setting on the oven for “shoe.”

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Winston says the team behind “One Shot” chose New York as the setting “because we felt like every corner of New York feels like a movie set.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Docents at the exhibit will show visitors how to change their iPhone camera settings to create what looks like a photo negative, making it easier to see the shadowy figure on the cloth.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Driscoll had tentatively planned to fly to London after Kyiv to continue talks with the Ukrainians in a more formal setting, the officials said.

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Their remarkable durability led researchers to test moss sporophytes, the reproductive structures that hold spores, in an even harsher setting: outer space.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• ambience 
• backdrop 
• context 
• environment 
• framework 
• locale 
• location 
• site 
• surroundings