What does "contrast" mean?
A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.; The degree of this difference.
Contrast
/ˈkɒntɹɑːst/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.; The degree of this difference.
- Grammar: contrast is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: allegory, analogize, analogy, analyze graphs.
- Useful contrasts: analog network, agreement, analogy.
- Usage evidence: The contrast between the sky and the mountain is striking.
How to use "contrast"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "contrast" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "contrast" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "contrast" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "contrast" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "contrast" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "allegory" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "contrast", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.; The degree of this difference. uncountable
"The red and the orange don't have much contrast between them — I can hardly tell them apart."
- 2 the act of distinguishing by comparing differences wordnet
- 3 A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.; A control on a television, etc, that adjusts the amount of contrast in the images being displayed. countable
"Ohh, you can't fool me. This thing's top of the line! It's got two contrast knobs!"
- 4 the range of optical density and tone on a photographic negative or print (or the extent to which adjacent areas on a television screen differ in brightness) wordnet
- 5 A difference between two objects, people or concepts. countable
"Israel is a country of many contrasts."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 the perceptual effect of the juxtaposition of very different colors wordnet
- 7 Something that is opposite of or strikingly different from something else. countable
"Why this denunciation of idolatry at this point? And why are Shabbat and the sanctuary mentioned as contrasts to idol worship?"
- 8 a conceptual separation or distinction wordnet
- 9 Antithesis. countable, rhetoric, uncountable
- 10 the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared wordnet
- 11 Contrast medium uncountable
Verb
- 1 To set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between; to counterpoint. transitive
- 2 put in opposition to show or emphasize differences wordnet
- 3 To form a contrast. intransitive, often
"Foreground and background strongly contrast."
- 4 to show differences when compared; be different wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The contrast between the sky and the mountain is striking."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "contrast"?
Common synonyms include: allegory, analogize, analogy, analyze graphs, ancient civilization study, antagonism.
How do you use "contrast" in a sentence?
The contrast between the sky and the mountain is striking.
How do you pronounce "contrast"?
Pronounced /ˈkɒntɹɑːst/.
Etymology
From French contraster, from Italian contrastare (“to resist", "to withstand”), from Vulgar Latin *contrāstāre, from Latin contrā (“against”) + stō, stāre (“to stand”).