contrast
gb/kˈɑntɹæst/ us/kˈɑntɹæst/
B1
English
~ 1500
ellentét, kontraszt, különbség, szembeállít, ellentétben áll, elüt
NOUN
B1
1
Usage pattern:
a contrast between [thing1] and [thing2]
There is a sharp contrast between city life and rural life.
Éles ellentét van a városi és a vidéki élet között.
The bright colors are in stark contrast to the dark background.
Az élénk színek éles kontrasztban állnak a sötét háttérrel.
In contrast to her brother, she is very outgoing.
The report draws a contrast between the two countries' economies.
The contrast between the two paintings is striking.
Learner examples
There is a big contrast between summer and winter here.
Itt nagy a különbség a nyár és a tél között.
Her white dress made a contrast with his black suit.
A fehér ruhája kontrasztot alkotott a férfi fekete öltönyével.
The movie shows a contrast between rich and poor.
In contrast to last year, sales are up.
We saw a strong contrast between the old and new buildings.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'contrast' with 'compare'; 'compare' looks for similarities as well as differences, while 'contrast' focuses on differences.
Meaning
a noticeable difference
Collocations
sharp contrast
|strong contrast
|in contrast
|contrast between
|marked contrast
Synonyms
difference (A more general term for things not being the same; may be less strong than 'contrast'.)
Antonyms
similarity (Refers to the quality of being alike, the opposite of highlighting differences.)
Themes
communication
|art
|analysis
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A clear difference between two or more things.
A clear and often striking difference between two or more people, things, or situations.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
to contrast [thing1] with [thing2]
The teacher contrasted the two poems to show their different styles.
A tanár szembeállította a két verset, hogy megmutassa eltérő stílusukat.
His relaxed manner contrasts sharply with her nervous energy.
Az ő nyugodt viselkedése éles ellentétben áll a nő ideges energiájával.
In her speech, she contrasted life before and after the internet.
These results contrast with earlier findings.
The artist contrasted light and shadow to create depth.
Learner examples
The book contrasts life in the city with life in the country.
A könyv szembeállítja a városi életet a vidéki élettel.
Her red dress contrasts with his blue shirt.
A piros ruhája elüt a férfi kék ingétől.
We contrasted the old photo with the new one.
The warm colors contrast with the cool colors.
This story contrasts love and hate.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget to use 'with' when contrasting two things, e.g., 'contrast A and B' is possible but 'contrast A with B' is more common for showing differences.
Meaning
to compare to highlight differences
Collocations
contrast sharply with
|contrast strongly with
|contrast markedly with
Synonyms
differentiate (Focuses on identifying distinctions; can be broader than just direct comparison.)
Antonyms
liken (Focuses on showing similarities rather than differences.)
Themes
communication
|analysis
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To look at two or more things to see how they are different.
To compare two or more things in order to emphasize their differences.
NOUN
B1
TECHNICAL
3
kontraszt
B2
Adjust the contrast on your monitor for better viewing.
Állítsa be a monitor kontrasztját a jobb láthatóság érdekében.
High contrast makes text easier to read.
A nagy kontraszt könnyebben olvashatóvá teszi a szöveget.
Photographers often use contrast to create mood in their images.
The photo has low contrast, making it look dull.
This setting increases the contrast between colors.
Learner examples
You can change the contrast on the TV.
Megváltoztathatod a tévé kontrasztját.
The picture has high contrast.
A képnek nagy a kontrasztja.
Low contrast makes it hard to see details.
He changed the contrast on his computer screen.
This camera has good color contrast.
Meaning
difference in image lightness
Collocations
high contrast
|low contrast
|adjust contrast
Synonyms
definition (In imaging, can refer to clarity; not exactly the same but related.)
Antonyms
flatness (In imaging, refers to lack of tonal variation, opposite of high contrast.)
Themes
technology
|photography
|arts_entertainment
Definition
How much the light and dark parts of an image are different from each other.
The degree of difference in brightness or color that makes objects in an image distinguishable.
Grammar
Dictionary form
contrast
IPA
GB/kˈɑntɹæst/
US/kˈɑntɹæst/
Syllables & stress
con - trast (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (con)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: contrast
- Plural: contrast, contrasts
Verb
- Base: contrast
- 3rd Person Singular: contrasts
- Present Participle: contrasting
- Past: contrasted
Word family
Forms
contrasts
noun
contrasting
verb
contrasted
verb
Negative and opposite forms
similarity
noun B2
Advanced or less common
contrastive
adjective
contrastively
adverb
Expressions
by contrast
1/bˈaɪ kˈɑntɹæst/
fixed phrase
highlighting differences by comparison
Used when comparing two things to show how they are different.
Examples
- The north of the country is cold and wet; by contrast, the south is warm and dry.
- She is shy. By contrast, her brother loves meeting new people.
in contrast
1/ˈɪn kˈɑntɹæst/
fixed phrase
showing a difference from before
Used to show how something is different from what was just mentioned.
Examples
- The first hotel was dark and small. In contrast, the second one was bright and spacious.
- He is very talkative. In contrast, his sister is quiet.
in stark contrast to
1/ˈɪn stˈɑɹk kˈɑntɹæst tə/
fixed phrase
formal
extremely different from something else
Used to say that something is very different from something else mentioned before.
Examples
- His calm acceptance was in stark contrast to her angry reaction.
- The new building is in stark contrast to the old houses around it.