contrast

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A difference between two objects, people or concepts.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kahntrast

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkɑntɹæst

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

countable
A difference between two objects, people or concepts.
countable
A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.
uncountable
The degree of this difference.
countable
Something that is opposite of or strikingly different from something else.
countable
A control on a television, etc, that adjusts the amount of contrast in the images being displayed.

verb

Put in opposition to show or emphasize differences
“The middle school teacher contrasted her best student's work with that of her weakest student.”
To show differences when compared; be different
“The students contrast considerably in their artistic abilities.”
transitive
To set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between; to counterpoint.
intransitiveoften with with
To form a contrast.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A difference between two objects, people or concepts.

Used this way, contrast 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 contrast

“The middle school teacher contrasted her best student's work with that of her weakest student.”verb
“The students contrast considerably in their artistic abilities.”verb

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Difference

contrast material

Control

high contrast

Perceptual

contrast agent

Contrast

contrast medium

Other combinations

direct contrastsharp contrastmarked contraststriking contrast

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

contrast materialnounCompound term
A substance that is opaque to x-rays.
contrast mediumnounCompound term
A substance that is opaque to x-rays.
direct contrastnounCompound term
The opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: difference between two objects or people or concepts

dividing lineline

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “contrast” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

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.