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.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. CONTRASTnoun

   Opposition and dissimilitude of figures, by which one contributes to the visibility or effect of another.

   Etymology: contraste, Fr.

2. To Contrastverb

   Etymology: from the noun.

   1. To place in opposition, so that one figure shews another to advantage.2. To shew another figure to advantage by its colour or situation.

   The figures of the groups must not be all on a side, that is, with their face and bodies all turned the same way; but must contrast each other by their several positions. John Dryden, Dufresnoy.

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

1. Contrastverb

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

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

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

4. Contrastnoun

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

5. Contrastnoun

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

6. Contrastnoun

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

7. 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

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Gail Vance Civille:

   A chocolate chip cookie is a brilliant contrast among the flavors and among the textures.

2. Paul Hokemeyer:

   In contrast to those seeking treatment for drug and alcohol addictions, people who suffer from sexual addictions face more obstacles to getting effective care. These include the controversy surrounding the disorder’s existence that prevents treatment from being covered by insurance, the shame and guilt that keeps the people who suffer from asking for help and the scarcity of competent clinicians who can treat it.

3. Junichi Ishikawa:

   The euro showed such a big reaction to the ECB meeting as its stance came in sharp contrast to the Federal Reserve, which had struck a hawkish tone just the day before.

4. Glenn Youngkin:

   This is going to be an absolute stark contrast between left, liberal policies and a candidate who knows how to get things done, like me.

5. Helen Le:

   It's the contrast of textures that makes this dish interesting.

Popularity rank by frequency of use