Meaning & use
contrasting
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Strikingly different from something else, especially when placed beside it.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: contrasting colors.
Patterns
- contrasting colors
- contrasting views
The room used contrasting colors, with black chairs against white walls.
The two witnesses gave contrasting accounts of the accident.
She wore a contrasting scarf to make the outfit stand out.
verbtransitive
Comparing two things in order to show how they differ.
Grammar: The -ing form of contrast as a verb: contrasting one thing with another.
Patterns
- contrasting something with something
The essay ends by contrasting life in the city with life in the country.
Contrasting the two sets of data revealed a clear trend.
The teacher spent the hour contrasting British and American spelling.
Word forms
| base form | contrast |
|---|---|
| third person singular | contrasts |
| past tense | contrasted |
Common combinations
- contrasting colors
- The cover uses two contrasting colors.
- contrasting styles
- The two painters have contrasting styles.
- contrasting opinions
- The panel offered contrasting opinions on the plan.
- contrasting textures
- The dish pairs contrasting textures, soft and crunchy.
- sharply contrasting
- They hold sharply contrasting views on taxes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- opposing
- Opposing suggests being against each other in conflict, while contrasting only needs a visible difference.
- differing
- Differing is more neutral and mild, with none of the visual sense of contrasting.
- divergent
- Divergent describes things that move apart from a shared starting point, often used for opinions.
- clashing
- Clashing suggests the difference looks bad together, whereas contrasting can look attractive.
Opposites
Word family
- contrast noun
- a clear difference between things
- contrast verb
- to show a difference when compared
- contrastive adjective
- showing or based on differences
- contrastingly adverb
- in a way that shows difference
Commonly confused: contrasting or comparing?
contrasting vs comparing
Comparing looks for similarities and differences, while contrasting focuses on differences only.
Practice
The designer chose a ___ border, bright yellow against the dark blue cover.
Choose one answer.
Yellow against dark blue is a strong difference, so contrasting fits. Matching and blending suggest sameness, and faded does not describe the difference.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contrasting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.