Dictionary

contrast en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (uncountable) A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable. ▸ The degree of this difference.
   • The red and the orange don't have much contrast between them — I can hardly tell them apart.
2. (countable) 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.
   • Ohh, you can't fool me. This thing's top of the line! It's got two contrast knobs! 2009 May 4, Michael Chapman; Matthew Chapman, “Hremail #7”, in Homestar Runner, spoken by Strong Bad (Matthew Chapman):
3. (countable) A difference between two objects, people or concepts.
   • ... there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 11:
   • Israel is a country of many contrasts.
   • The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone [the sponsor] long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it. 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
4. (countable) Something that is opposite of or strikingly different from something else.
   • Why this denunciation of idolatry at this point? And why are Shabbat and the sanctuary mentioned as contrasts to idol worship? 2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 746:
5. (countable, rhetoric, uncountable) Antithesis.
6. (uncountable) Contrast medium

Forms

Deriveds

hysterosalpingo-contrast-sonography · paracontrast · contrast agent · contrastless · reverse contrast · phase contrast microscope · metacontrast · in contrast · radiocontrast · precontrast · multicontrast · contrastment · contrast medium · noncontrast · in contrast to · contrasty · postcontrast · contrast ratio · contrast radiography · contrast set · contrast therapy · by contrast · hysterosalpingo contrast sonography · phase contrast microscopy · thorotrast

Translations (71)

nn kontrast (degree of this difference) · bg контраст (control on a television, etc) · fi kontrasti (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · az təzad (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · it contrasto (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · de Gegensatz (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · gl contraste (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · cmn 对比度 (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · pt contraste (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · ro contrast (degree of this difference) · fi kontrasti (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · de Kontrast (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · cs protiklad (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · bg контраст (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · fa کنتراست (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · nn kontrast (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · az təzad (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · nb kontrast (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · ca contrast (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · pl kontrast (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · it contrasto (degree of this difference) · sv kontrast (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · fr contraste (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · az kontrast (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · he ניגוד (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · de Kontrast (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · sv kontrast (control on a television, etc) · mi pūrata (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · nb kontrast (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · kk кереғарлық (degree of this difference) · lv kontrasts (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · ka კონტრასტი (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · pl kontrast (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · nn kontrast (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · es contraste (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · ka კონტრასტი (control on a television, etc) · fi kontrastinappula (control on a television, etc) · bg контраст (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · eo kontrasto (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · mi pūrata (degree of this difference) · sv kontrast (degree of this difference) · kk кереғарлық (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · sv kontrast (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · de Kontrast (control on a television, etc) · it diversità (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · lv pretstats (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · ka კონტრასტი (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · it contrasto (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · es contraste (degree of this difference) · gl contraste (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · de Kontrast (degree of this difference) · az kontrast (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · nn kontrast (control on a television, etc) · pt contraste (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · eo kontrasto (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · ka კონტრასტი (degree of this difference) · pt contraste (degree of this difference) · fi vastakohta (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · nb kontrast (control on a television, etc) · ru контра́ст (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable) · es contraste (control on a television, etc) · eo kontrasto (degree of this difference) · pt contraste (control on a television, etc) · eo kontrasto (control on a television, etc) · it contrasto (control on a television, etc) · ca contrast (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · fi kontrasti (degree of this difference) · de Unterschied (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · nb kontrast (degree of this difference) · es contraste (difference between two objects, people or concepts) · ro contrast (difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable)

contrast en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /kənˈtɹɑːst/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• kəntrăst' (US)
• /ˈkɑnt(ʃ)ɹæst/ (US)
• /kənˈtɹast/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/ (US)
• kŏn'trăst (US)

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (transitive) To set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between; to counterpoint.
2. (intransitive, often, with with) To form a contrast.
   • The color of her dress contrasts very nicely with the black scarf around her neck.
   • The joints which divide the sandstone contrast finely with the divisional planes which separate the basalt into pillars. 1845, Charles Lyell, Lyell's Travels in North America:
   • Foreground and background strongly contrast.

Forms

Antonyms

liken (antonym(s) of “to show difference”)

Deriveds

contrastive · contrastable · contrasting · compare and contrast

Relateds

compare

Translations (25)

eo kontrasti (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · cs kontrastovat (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · mi whakatairite (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · ru противопоста́вить (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · sv kontrastera (to form a contrast) · bg противопоставям (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · de gegenüberstellen (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · el αντιπαραβάλλω (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · fr contraster (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · sv kontrastera (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · fi verrata (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · es contrastar (to form a contrast) · fr contraster (to form a contrast) · ru противопоставля́ть (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · sv bryta av (to form a contrast) · bg контрастирам (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · pl kontrastować (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · fi asettaa vastakkain (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · kk салғастыру (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · nl contrasteren (to form a contrast) · he הנגיד (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · fi toimia vastakohtana (to form a contrast) · pt contrastar (to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between) · pl kontrastować (to form a contrast) · fi muodostaa vastakohta (to form a contrast)