Noun > Contrast
1 (count) : something that is different from another thing — + to
Today’s weather is quite a contrast to yesterday’s. (=today’s weather is very different from yesterday’s weather)
2 : a difference between people or things that are being compared
(count)
I observed an interesting contrast in/between the teaching styles of the two women.
We talked about the contrasts between his early books and his later books. (=the ways in which his early and later books are different)
(noncount)
His comments were in stark/marked/sharp contrast with/to his earlier statements. (=his comments were very different from his earlier statements)
3 (noncount) : the act of comparing people or things to show the differences between them
Careful contrast of the twins shows some differences.
In contrast to/with last year’s profits, the company is not doing very well.
The queen’s wit and humor made the prince seem dull by contrast.
They spent millions of dollars on advertising. By way of contrast, our small company spent under 5,000 dollars.
4 (noncount) : the difference between the dark and light parts of a painting or photograph
a painting with a lot of contrast
She was wearing a black dress, so the photographer suggested using a white background for contrast.
— contrasting adjective (more contrasting; most contrasting)
They have very contrasting (=different) styles.
— contrastive /kənˈtræstɪv/ adjective, formal (more contrastive; most contrastive)
contrastive styles