# contrast

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɒntɹɑːst/ · frequency rank #3,222

## Definitions
1. A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.
2. A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.
3. A difference between two objects, people or concepts.
4. Something that is opposite of or strikingly different from something else.
5. Antithesis.
6. Contrast medium

## Etymology
From French contraster, from Italian contrastare (“to resist", "to withstand”), from Vulgar Latin *contrāstāre, from Latin contrā (“against”) + stō, stāre (“to stand”).

## Easily confused with
- **contrasted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/contrast-vs-contrasted)
- **contact** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/contact-vs-contrast)
- **contest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/contest-vs-contrast)
- **contract** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/contract-vs-contrast)
- **contrary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/contrary-vs-contrast)
- **centrist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/centrist-vs-contrast)
- **contracts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/contracts-vs-contrast)

## Common misspellings (13)
`ccontrast`, `cnotrast`, `conntrast`, `conrtast`, `contarst`, `contrasst`, `contrastt`, `contrats`, `contrrast`, `contrsat`, `conttrast`, `cotnrast`, `ocntrast`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/contrast