contrast

CEFRB1

/kˈɑntræst/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A clear difference between two people or things.

  2. 02

    verb

    To compare two things and show their differences.

Examples

  • As far as Bob is concerned, anything goes. By contrast, Jane is very cautious.

  • The contrast between the sky and the mountain is striking.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈkɑnt(ʃ)ɹæst/
  • /kənˈtɹast/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A difference between two objects, people or concepts.

  2. A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.

  3. The degree of this difference.

More examples

In context

  • The two cities make an interesting contrast.

  • Israel is a country of many contrasts.

  • The red and the orange don't have much contrast between them — I can hardly tell them apart.

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The bright red flowers provide a sharp blank against the green leafy background.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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