contrastnoun [ C or U ]
uk/ˈkɒn.trɑːst/us/ˈkɑːn.træst/B2 an obvious difference between two or more things:
I like the contrast of the white trousers with the black jacket.
The antique furnishing provides an unusual contrast to the modernity of the building.
There's a marked contrast between his character and hers.
Their economy has expanded, while ours, by/in contrast, has declined.
The amount spent on defence is in stark/sharp (= in very noticeable) contrast to that spent on housing and health.
I love his use of contrast (= strong differences between light and darkness) in his later photographs.
More examples
- There's a striking contrast between what he does and what he says he does.
- The mountains stood in sharp contrast to the blue sky.
- The president spoke with passion for an hour, in marked contrast to his subdued address to the parliament yesterday.
- I love the contrast between the sharpness of the lemon and the sweetness of the honey.
- Did you see the photos of her before and after her makeover? What a contrast!
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Different and difference
- a breath of fresh air idiom
- a whole new ballgame idiom
- a world of difference idiom
- alternative
- another
- clash
- contrary
- differential
- distinctive
- distorted
- diverge
- divergence
- divers
- divide
- permutation
- refreshing
- several
- step
- sundry
- tangential
See more results »
contrastverb
uk/kənˈtrɑːst/us/kənˈtræst/C2 [ T ] to compare two people or things in order to show the differences between them:
If you contrast some of her early writing with her later work, you can see just how much she improved.
C2 [ I ] If one thing contrasts with another, it is very different from it:
The styles of the two film makers contrast quite dramatically.
The tartness of the lemons contrasts with the sweetness of the honey.
More examples
- Her later sensual works contrast starkly with the harsh earlier paintings.
- The president's passionate speech contrasted strongly with his subdued address to the parliament yesterday.
- What he said contrasted strikingly with what he actually did.
- The designer chose bright curtains and cushions that contrast with the subdued wallpaper.
- The sharpness of the lemon contrasts deliciously with the sweetness of the sugar.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Comparing and contrasting
- against
- analogy
- antithesis
- as against idiom
- balance
- balance sth against sth
- benchmark
- compare
- comparison
- competitive
- contrastive
- differentiate
- gold standard
- relative
- relatively
- set
- simile
- stack up
- vis-à-vis
- work-life balance
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Being and appearing different