Definitions for contrast
kənˈtræst, ˈkɒn træst; ˈkɒn træstcon·trast

Princeton's WordNet(4.80 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. contrast, direct contrastnoun

   the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared

   "in contrast to", "by contrast"

2. contrastnoun

   the act of distinguishing by comparing differences

3. line, dividing line, demarcation, contrastnoun

   a conceptual separation or distinction

   "there is a narrow line between sanity and insanity"

4. contrastnoun

   the perceptual effect of the juxtaposition of very different colors

5. contrastverb

   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)

6. contrastverb

   put in opposition to show or emphasize differences

   "The middle school teacher contrasted her best student's work with that of her weakest student"

7. contrast, counterpointverb

   to show differences when compared; be different

   "the students contrast considerably in their artistic abilities"

Wiktionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. contrastnoun

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

2. contrastnoun

   The degree of this difference.

   The red and the orange don't have much contrast between them uE000151142uE001 I can hardly tell them apart.

3. contrastnoun

   A difference between two objects, people or concepts.

   Israel is a country of many contrasts.

4. contrastnoun

   A control on a television, etc, that adjusts the amount of contrast in the images being displayed.

5. contrastnoun

   Antithesis.

6. contrastverb

   To set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between.

7. contrastverb

   To form a contrast.

   Foreground and background strongly contrast.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Contrastverb

   to stand in opposition; to exhibit difference, unlikeness, or opposition of qualities

   Etymology: [F. contraster, LL. contrastare to resist, withstand, fr. L. contra + stare to stand. See Stand.]

2. Contrastverb

   to set in opposition, or over against, in order to show the differences between, or the comparative excellences and defects of; to compare by difference or contrariety of qualities; as, to contrast the present with the past

   Etymology: [F. contraster, LL. contrastare to resist, withstand, fr. L. contra + stare to stand. See Stand.]

3. Contrastverb

   to give greater effect to, as to a figure or other object, by putting it in some relation of opposition to another figure or object

   Etymology: [F. contraster, LL. contrastare to resist, withstand, fr. L. contra + stare to stand. See Stand.]

4. Contrastnoun

   the act of contrasting, or the state of being contrasted; comparison by contrariety of qualities

   Etymology: [F. contraster, LL. contrastare to resist, withstand, fr. L. contra + stare to stand. See Stand.]

5. Contrastnoun

   opposition or dissimilitude of things or qualities; unlikeness, esp. as shown by juxtaposition or comparison

   Etymology: [F. contraster, LL. contrastare to resist, withstand, fr. L. contra + stare to stand. See Stand.]

6. Contrastnoun

   the opposition of varied forms, colors, etc., which by such juxtaposition more vividly express each other's peculiarities

   Etymology: [F. contraster, LL. contrastare to resist, withstand, fr. L. contra + stare to stand. See Stand.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Contrast

   Contrast is the difference in luminance and/or color that makes an object distinguishable. In visual perception of the real world, contrast is determined by the difference in the color and brightness of the object and other objects within the same field of view. Because the human visual system is more sensitive to contrast than absolute luminance, we can perceive the world similarly regardless of the huge changes in illumination over the day or from place to place. The maximum contrast of an image is the contrast ratio or dynamic range. Contrast is also the difference between the color or shading of the printed material on a document and the background on which it is printed, for example in optical character recognition.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(3.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Contrast

   kon-trast′, v.i. to stand in opposition to.—v.t. to set in opposition, in order to show superiority or give effect.—n. Con′trast, opposition or unlikeness in things compared: exhibition of differences.—adj. Contrast′ive. [Fr. contraster—L. contra, opposite to, stāre, to stand.]

Matched Categories

1. • Comparison
   • Distinguish
   • Visual Perception

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'contrast' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1622

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'contrast' in Nouns Frequency: #719

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'contrast' in Verbs Frequency: #874

How to pronounce contrast?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say contrast in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of contrast in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of contrast in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of contrast in a Sentence

1. Kellyanne Conway:

   Nobody's going to have a silver bullet, a magic elixir on stage at the CNN debate that dislodges Trump from the top of the polls. That's a fool's errand, it's incumbent upon these candidates to show contrast from other people's point of views, including Mr. Trump's.

2. Tim Murtaugh:

   The rally is a great signal to the rest of the country that it's time to get things moving again, americans will now see the contrast between the President's record of accomplishment versus the history of failure Joe Biden brings to the table.

3. Eran Elinav:

   Measuring such a large cohort without any prejudice really enlightened us on how inaccurate we all were about one of the most basic concepts of our existence, which is what we eat and how we integrate nutrition into our daily life, in contrast to our current practices, tailoring diets to the individual may allow us to utilize nutrition as means of controlling elevated blood sugar levels and its associated medical conditions.

4. Eric Angely:

   David Pottier said of United States. Thepandemic has wreaked havoc across the world, infecting 6.6 million people, killing over 391,000 and devastating economies.It poses a particular threat to the elderly like the surviving D-Day veterans who are in their late nineties or older. It has also affected the younger generations who turn out every year to mark the occasion. Most have been barred from traveling to the windswept coasts of American Normandy. In this photo taken on Thursday, June 4, 2020, two people stop to look at an information board at Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, American Normandy, France. In sharp contrast to the 75th anniversary of D-Day, this year's 76th will be one of the loneliest remembrances ever, as the coronavirus pandemic is keeping nearly everyone from traveling. ( AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) Some 160,000 soldiers made the perilous crossing from England that day in atrocious conditions, storming dunes which they knew were heavily defended by German troops determined to hold their positions. Somehow, they succeeded. Yet they left a trail of thousands of casualties who have been mourned for generations since. Last year stood out, with U.S. President Donald Trump joining his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach. A smattering of veterans were honored with the highest accolades. All across the beaches of American Normandy tens of thousands came from across the globe to pay their respects to the dead and laud the surviving soldiers. The acrid smell of wartime-era jeep exhaust fumes and the rumble of old tanks filled the air as parades of vintages vehicles went from village to village. The tiny roads between the dunes, hedges and apple orchards were clogged for hours, if not days. FILE - In this Thursday, June 6, 2019 file photo, President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, French Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron, watch a flyover during a ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day at the American Normandy cemetery, in Colleville-sur-Mer, American Normandy, France. In sharp contrast to the 75th anniversary of D-Day, this year's 76th will be one of the loneliest remembrances ever, as the coronavirus pandemic is keeping nearly everyone from traveling. ( AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) Heading into the D-Day remembrance weekend this year, only the salty brine coming off the ocean on Omaha Beach hits the nostrils, the shrieks of seagulls pierce the ears and a sense of desolation hangs across the regions country roads. Last year this place was full with jeeps, trucks, people dressed up as soldiers.

5. Sharon Choksi:

   I think it's one thing that the girls' clothes are very fitted and small, and it's another that they're in such direct contrast to what you find on the boys' side, and those two things send a pretty strong message about what they're supposed to look like, dressed to be slim and to be fit.

Images & Illustrations of contrast

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