contrapposto
con·trap·pos·to/ˌkɑntɹəˈpɑstoʊ/noun
contrapposto is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-P-P-O-S-T-O: 12 letters and 4 syllables (con·trap·pos·to). It appears about once in every 91 million words in written English, the 305,310th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, contrapposto means “The position of a human figure whose hips and legs are twisted away from the direction of the head and shoulders; (countable) an instance of this” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of contrapposto is contrappostos or contrapposti.
How many letters and syllables are in contrapposto?
| Letters | 12: C-O-N-T-R-A-P-P-O-S-T-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: con·trap·pos·to |
| In writing | about once in every 91 million words; the 305,310th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is contrapposto?
Contrapposto appears about once in every 91 million words in written English, the 305,310th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce contrapposto?
- UK /ˌkɒntɹəˈpɒstəʊ/
- US /ˌkɑntɹəˈpɑstoʊ/
- UK /ˌkɒntɹəˈpɒsti/
Contrapposto has 4 syllables, split con·trap·pos·to in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-contrapposto.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-contrapposto.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of contrapposto
- contrappostos plural
- contrapposti plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contrapposto mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The position of a human figure whose hips and legs are twisted away from the direction of the head and shoulders; (countable) an instance of this.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Contrapposto in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense position of a human figure whose hips and legs are twisted away from the directi:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contrapposto |
| German | Kontrapost |
| Portuguese | contrapposto |
| Spanish | contrapposto |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does contrapposto come from?
Borrowed from Italian contrapposto (“contrasting; opposing”, adjective), the past participle of contrapporre (“to set against, counter”), from Latin contrāpōnere, the present active infinitive of contrāpōnō (“to oppose; to place opposite”), from contrā (“against; contrary to”) + pōnō (“to place, put”). The plural form contrapposti is borrowed from Italian contrapposti, the masculine plural form of contrapposto.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).