Meaning & use

silhouette

noun·Academic

The dark outline or shape of someone or something seen against a lighter background.

See it in a sentence

We watched the silhouette of the mountains darken as the sun went down.

Her silhouette appeared in the doorway just before she stepped into the light.

A note on using this word

Silhouette can also describe a simple portrait cut from black paper, an art form popular in the eighteenth century.

Words with a similar meaning

outlineprofile

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

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