contrast

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments  · 
“
But our contrast is an inner contrast which stands alone and rejects the help (for that help would mean destruction) of any other principles of harmony.

View all »
Definitions (32)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (11)

  1. transitive verb To set in opposition in order to show or emphasize differences: an essay that contrasts city and country life; contrasted this computer with inferior models.
  2. intransitive verb To show differences when compared: siblings who contrast sharply in interests and abilities; a color that contrasted clearly with the dark background.
  3. intransitive verb Linguistics To evince a difference that can distinguish meaning: Voiced and voiceless stops contrast in English but not in Cree.
8 more from this dictionary »

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (11)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (7)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • But what a contrast was there between our leaving Rochester, five years before, and our removing from the colony! —  Twenty-Two Years a Slave, and Forty Years a Freeman
  • Surely the contrast is almost incredible, and what we have said on this point in regard to Toronto may be said of every city, town, village or country place in the Province. —  Life in Canada Fifty Years Ago
  • What a contrast is there between the two countries! —  Bismarck and the Foundation of the German Empire
  • Eleanor's voice came to him like the grey creed of a new materialistic world, the contrast was the more vivid because of the remains of erratic honor and sentimental religiosity that she flung out with the rest So you see, my dear, utility, heroism and sentiment all com- bine and levoice. —  Sentiment--and the Use of Rouge
  • But the contrast was the message of the Bible, which is absolutely at the opposite end. —  Latest Articles
More examples »
 

Tags

contrast hasn't been tagged yet.

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 114 times.

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Add a related word »
Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Suggestions Wordniks Suggest

Suggestions Wordniks Suggest

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

Used in the same contextWord Family

contrast:   contrasts ·  contrasting ·  contrasted
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French contraster, from Italian contrastare, from Medieval Latin contrāstāre : Latin contrā-, contra- + Latin stāre, to stand; see stā- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from French contraster = Provencal Spanish Portuguese contrastar = Italian contrastare, from Middle Latin contrastare, stand opposed to, withstand, from Latin contra, against, + stare = English stand. Cf. rest, arrest, prest, where also -st represents L. stare.
  2. from Frenchcontraste = Provencal contrast = Spanish Portuguese contraste = Italian contrasto; from the verb.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »
/ˈkɑntræst/
by American Heritage

Charts
frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word about once a day.

Recently looked up

abundant · forerunner · approver · Kirsty · Poppycock

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

ultimatum · pew · deadpool · sad panda · nom nom nom