The contextof an idea or event is the general situation that relates to it, and which helps it to be understood.
We are doing this work in the context of reforms in the economic, social and culturalspheres. [+ of]
...the historical context in which Chaucer wrote.
This is the context in which the President must decide his policy.
Synonyms: circumstances, times, conditions, situation More Synonyms of context
2. variable noun
The context of a word, sentence, or text consists of the words, sentences, or text before and after it which help to makeits meaning clear.
Without a context, I would have assumed it was written by a man.
Synonyms: frame of reference, background, framework, relation More Synonyms of context
3.
See in context
4.
See out of context
context in British English
(ˈkɒntɛkst)
noun
1.
the parts of a piece of writing, speech, etc, that precede and follow a word or passage and contribute to its full meaning
it is unfair to quote out of context
2.
the conditions and circumstances that are relevant to an event, fact, etc
Word origin
C15: from Latin contextus a putting together, from contexere to interweave, from com- together + texere to weave, braid
context in American English
(ˈkɑnˌtɛkst)
noun
1.
the parts of a sentence, paragraph, discourse, etc. immediately next to or surrounding a specified word or passage and determining its exact meaning
to quote a remark out of context
2.
the whole situation, background, or environment relevant to a particular event, personality, creation, etc.
Word origin
ME < L contextus, a joining together, orig., pp. of contexere, to weave together < com-, together + texere, to weave: see technic
COBUILD Collocations
context
social context
Examples of 'context' in a sentence
context
Cultural and historical context is important.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
Does seeing him in this context help one understand him?
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
Setting biblical passages in their ancient context makes them come alive.
Marcus J. Borg READING THE BIBLE AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME: Taking the Bible Seriously but Not Literally. (2001)
The opposing images that we fashion change in meaning depending on context and period.
Rowbotham, Sheila The Past is Before Us - feminism in action since the 1960s (1989)
We find meaning by understanding each passage within context of the whole.
Christianity Today (2000)
What the book cries out for is a broader cultural context.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
Those questions can only be addressed by placing what happened in its proper historical context.
John Cassidy DOT.CON (2001)
Probably the most useful distinction in learning styles in the training context is between general and specific.
O'Connor, Joseph & Seymour, John Training with N.L.P. (1994)
Critical social research admits that facts do not exist independently of their theoretical context.
Lee Harvey Critical Social Research (1990)
It is a different context that makes it more interesting.
The Sun (2013)
The meaning and context of his comments are hotly contested.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
This historical context is important in assessing the continuing influence of limited war thinking.
Mcinnes, Colin & Sheffield G.D (eds.) Warfare in the Twentieth Century (1988)
It is in this context that more general global phenomena will be explored.
Tom Cannon Basic Marketing. Principles and Practice (1986)
Does the misuse of the phrase matter if the context makes it obvious what the writer means?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Is it possible that the winged lion has a particular meaning in this context?
Andrew Bridgeford 1066: and the Hidden History of the Bayeux Tapestry (2004)
But as with any religion there are those who take passages out of context.
The Sun (2009)
The first is an absence of historical context.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Any avoidance of normal food items can only really help in the context of a total health programme.
Turner, Roger Newman The Hayfever Handbook - a summer survival guide (1988)
This gave us a broader cultural context in which to understand the currents of thought in which they swam.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In this context, domestic policy no longer seems to matter much.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The league will help provide context for all Test matches.
The Sun (2010)
So there is a wider social and economic policy context and we shouldn't be embarrassed about saying that.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
All of this must be seen in the context of the fact that she is affected with mosaic Turner syndrome.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
context
British English: context /ˈkɒntɛkst/ NOUN
The context of an idea or event is the general situation in which it occurs.
This event must be seen in context.
American English: context
Arabic: سِيَاق
Brazilian Portuguese: contexto
Chinese: 背景
Croatian: kontekst
Czech: kontext
Danish: sammenhæng
Dutch: context
European Spanish: contexto
Finnish: asiayhteys
French: contexte
German: Zusammenhang
Greek: γενικό πλαίσιο
Italian: contesto
Japanese: 状況
Korean: 맥락
Norwegian: sammenheng
Polish: kontekst
European Portuguese: contexto
Romanian: context
Russian: ситуация
Latin American Spanish: contexto
Swedish: sammanhang
Thai: บริบท
Turkish: içerik
Ukrainian: контекст
Vietnamese: bối cảnh
All related terms of 'context'
in context
If something is seen in context or if it is put into context , it is considered together with all the factors that relate to it.
low-context
tending to communicate by electronic methods such as e-mail , rather than in person
high-context
preferring to communicate in person, rather than by electronic methods such as email
opaque context
an expression in which the replacement of a term by another with the same reference may change the truth-value of the whole . John believes that Cicero was a Roman is opaque , since even though Cicero and Tully are the same person John may know that the given statement is true but not that Tully was a Roman
social context
The context of an idea or event is the general situation that relates to it, and which helps it to be understood .
context-sensitive
behaving, responding , or interpreted differently depending on context
out of context
If a statement or remark is quoted out of context , the circumstances in which it was said are not correctly reported , so that it seems to mean something different from the meaning that was intended .
transparent context
an expression in which any term may be replaced by another with the same reference without changing its truth-value