Meanings
nouncontrast (countable and uncountable, plural contrasts)
plural contrasts
- A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.
- uncountableThe degree of this difference.
The red and the orange don't have much contrast between them — I can hardly tell them apart.
- countableA control on a television, etc, that adjusts the amount of contrast in the images being displayed.
Ohh, you can't fool me. This thing's top of the line! It's got two contrast knobs!
2009 May 4, Michael Chapman; Matthew Chapman, “Hremail #7”, in Homestar Runner, spoken by Strong Bad (Matthew Chapman)
- countableA difference between two objects, people or concepts.
Israel is a country of many contrasts.
2 more examples
The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone [the sponsor] long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it.
1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC... there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast.
1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 11 - countableSomething that is opposite of or strikingly different from something else.
Why this denunciation of idolatry at this point? And why are Shabbat and the sanctuary mentioned as contrasts to idol worship?
2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 746 - countablerhetoricuncountableAntithesis.
- uncountablemedicineContrast medium
verbcontrast (third-person singular simple present contrasts, present participle contrasting, simple past and past participle contrasted)
present singular third person contrasts · participle present contrasting · participle past contrasted · past contrasted
- transitiveTo set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between; to counterpoint.
- intransitiveoftenTo form a contrast.
Foreground and background strongly contrast.
2 more examples
The color of her dress contrasts very nicely with the black scarf around her neck.
The joints which divide the sandstone contrast finely with the divisional planes which separate the basalt into pillars.
1845, Charles Lyell, Lyell's Travels in North America
Synonyms & antonyms
antonym(s) of “to show difference”
Opposite
nounthe opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared
Similar
direct contrast
Broader
nouna conceptual separation or distinction
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincontrāstāre“to resist", "to withstand”
- Frenchcontraster
- Englishcontrast
From French contraster, from Latin contrāstāre (“to resist", "to withstand”), from contrā (“against”) + stō, stāre (“to stand”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian контраст, контраст
- контраст (kontrast)control on a television, etc
- контраст (kontrast)difference between two objects, people or concepts
- контраст (kontrast)difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- противопоставям (protivopostavjam)to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
- контрастирам (kontrastiram)to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
Catalan contrast, contrast
- contrastdifference between two objects, people or concepts
- contrastdifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
Chinese Mandarin 对比度
- 对比度 (duìbǐdù)difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
Czech protiklad, kontrastovat
- protikladdifference between two objects, people or concepts
- kontrastovatto set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
Dutch contrasteren
- contrasterento form a contrast
Esperanto kontrasto, kontrasto
- kontrastodegree of this difference
- kontrastocontrol on a television, etc
- kontrastodifference between two objects, people or concepts
- kontrastodifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- kontrastito set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
Finnish kontrasti, kontrastinappula
- kontrastidegree of this difference
- kontrastinappulacontrol on a television, etc
- vastakohtadifference between two objects, people or concepts
- kontrastidifference between two objects, people or concepts
- kontrastidifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- asettaa vastakkainto set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
- verratato set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
- muodostaa vastakohtato form a contrast
- toimia vastakohtanato form a contrast
French contraste, contraster
- contrastedifference between two objects, people or concepts
- contrasterto set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
- contrasterto form a contrast
German Kontrast, Kontrast
- Kontrastdegree of this difference
- Kontrastcontrol on a television, etc
- Gegensatzdifference between two objects, people or concepts
- Kontrastdifference between two objects, people or concepts
- Unterschieddifference between two objects, people or concepts
- Kontrastdifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- gegenüberstellento set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
Greek αντιπαραβάλλω
- αντιπαραβάλλω (antiparavállo)to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
Hebrew ניגוד, הנגיד
- ניגוד (nigud)difference between two objects, people or concepts
- הנגיד (hingíd)to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
Italian contrasto, contrasto
- contrastodegree of this difference
- contrastocontrol on a television, etc
- contrastodifference between two objects, people or concepts
- diversitàdifference between two objects, people or concepts
- contrastodifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
Latvian kontrasts, pretstats
- kontrastsdifference between two objects, people or concepts
- pretstatsdifference between two objects, people or concepts
Māori pūrata, pūrata
- pūratadegree of this difference
- pūratadifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- whakatairiteto set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
Norwegian Bokmål kontrast, kontrast
- kontrastdegree of this difference
- kontrastcontrol on a television, etc
- kontrastdifference between two objects, people or concepts
- kontrastdifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
Persian کنتراست
- کنتراست (kontrâst)difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
Polish kontrast, kontrast
- kontrastdifference between two objects, people or concepts
- kontrastdifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- kontrastowaćto set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
- kontrastowaćto form a contrast
Portuguese contraste, contraste
- contrastedegree of this difference
- contrastecontrol on a television, etc
- contrastedifference between two objects, people or concepts
- contrastedifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- contrastarto set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
Romanian contrast, contrast
- contrastdegree of this difference
- contrastdifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
Russian контра́ст, противопоставля́ть
- контра́ст (kontrást)difference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- противопоставля́ть (protivopostavljátʹ)to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
- противопоста́вить (protivopostávitʹ)to set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
Spanish contraste, contraste
- contrastedegree of this difference
- contrastecontrol on a television, etc
- contrastedifference between two objects, people or concepts
- contrastedifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- contrastarto form a contrast
Swedish kontrast, kontrast
- kontrastdegree of this difference
- kontrastcontrol on a television, etc
- kontrastdifference between two objects, people or concepts
- kontrastdifference that makes colours more or less distinguishable
- kontrasterato set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between
- kontrasterato form a contrast
- bryta avto form a contrast
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with contrast
lastpastaskedcastpassedvastblastmastovercastcasteoutcastclassedprecastavastgastrecastbastaghastoutlastdowncastrepastmiscastoutcastethe die is cast
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
contrast. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contrast
MLA
“contrast.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contrast. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contrast,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contrast.
Source: contrast on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.