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Meaning & use

immediate context

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ɪˈmiːdiət ˈkɒntekst/
US/ɪˈmiːdiət ˈkɑːntekst/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable or uncountable

    the words or situation directly around a particular word, phrase, or event, which help explain its meaning

    Grammar: Often used with 'the' or 'its': 'the immediate context of the remark'. Can be countable ('an immediate context') or uncountable ('in immediate context').

    Patterns

    • in the immediate context of something
    • the immediate context of something
    • within the immediate context

    You can often guess the meaning of a new word from its immediate context.

    In the immediate context of the sentence, 'bank' clearly means the side of a river.

    The remark seemed rude, but in its immediate context it was meant as a joke.

  2. nouncountable or uncountable

    the nearby surroundings or circumstances that directly affect what is happening

    Grammar: Used to talk about physical or social surroundings, not just words. Often appears as 'the immediate context of' or 'in the immediate context'.

    Patterns

    • the immediate context of something
    • in the immediate context of something

    The decision made sense in the immediate context of the emergency.

    We need to consider the immediate context of the building, not just its history.

Word forms

pluralimmediate contexts

Common combinations

in the immediate context
The word 'it' refers to the noun in the immediate context.
the immediate context of
The immediate context of the quote changes its meaning.
provide immediate context
The photo provides immediate context for the news story.
understand something from its immediate context
You can understand the tone from its immediate context.

Synonyms and how they differ

surrounding text
Use this when you mean only the words around a word, not the wider situation.
setting
This is broader and can mean the general place or time, not just what is directly around something.
background
This refers to the wider history or information, not the words or events right next to something.

Opposites

wider contextbroader context

Word family

context noun
The general situation or words around something.
contextual adjective
Relating to the context.
contextually adverb
In a way that relates to the context.

Commonly confused: immediate context or immediate family? immediate context or content?

immediate context vs immediate family

This means your closest relatives (parents, children, siblings), not the words around something.

immediate context vs content

Content is the main information or ideas, while immediate context is what surrounds a word or event.

Practice

In the sentence 'The bank was steep and muddy,' what does 'bank' mean based on its immediate context?

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Write a sentence using “immediate context”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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