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contrast

cont·rast

UK/kənˈtɹɑːst/ US/kənˈtɹast/ fairly common
noun (5) verb (2)

noun

1.

the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared

  • “in contrast to”
  • “by contrast”
Synonyms
2.

the act of distinguishing by comparing differences

3.

a conceptual separation or demarcation

  • “there is a narrow line between sanity and insanity”
Synonyms
4.
5.

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)

verb

1.

put in opposition to show or emphasize differences

  • “The middle school teacher contrasted her best student”
2.

to show differences when compared; be different

  • “the students contrast considerably in their artistic abilities”
Synonyms

Origin

From French contraster, from Latin contrāstāre (“to resist", "to withstand”), from contrā (“against”) + stō, stāre (“to stand”).

Phrases

  • by contrast
  • compare and contrast
  • contrast agent
  • contrast medium
  • contrast radiography
  • contrast ratio
  • contrast set
  • contrast therapy
  • hysterosalpingo contrast sonography

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.