context
noun
Simple meaning
The facts or details surrounding an event that help explain it
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kahntekstSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɑntɛkst
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The surroundings, circumstances, environment, background or settings that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence.
archaeology
The surroundings and environment in which an artifact is found and which may provide important clues about the artifact's function and/or cultural meaning.
linguistics
The text in which a word or passage appears and which helps ascertain its meaning.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The surroundings, circumstances, environment, background or settings that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence.
Used this way, context is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use context
- “You need to understand the historical context of the speech.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Surroundings / set
Other combinations
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Related to The surroundings, circumstances, environment, background or settings that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation.
Discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: surroundings or circumstances or environment or background
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Related Learning
Guides that use this word in context.
Guides
How to Improve Your Vocabulary: A Practical Method
A concrete, step-by-step method for building vocabulary through reading, targeted lookup, and spaced review.
Guides
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A practical guide to spotting definition, contrast, example, and cause-effect clues that reveal a word’s meaning.
Vocabulary
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Use it yourself
Knowing “context” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.