background
background is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 3 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 40 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.(Paint.) The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures. Note: The distance in a picture is usually divided into foreground, middle distance, and background. Fairholt.
- 2.Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings.
- 3.A place in obscurity or retirement, or out of sight. I fancy there was a background of grinding and waiting before Miss Torry could produce this highly finished . . . performance. Mrs. Alexander. A husband somewhere in the background. Thackeray.
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- aback
- abaft
- abditory
- adytum
- aft
- after
- aitchbone
- ambuscade
- ambush
- and
- astern
- back
- backside
- backwards
- bashful
- bashfulness
- beat
- behind
- bend
- blend
- blind
- blinker
- blush
- blushing
- bone
- breech
- bring
- bushel
- buttock
- candle
- cast
- caudal
- ceremony
- chine
- cloak
- closet
- cloud
- coin
- concealed
- concealment
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Reverse-dictionary questions
Definition-first questions whose answer is background.
- What is the space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures. Note: The distance in a picture is usually divided into foreground, middle distance, and background. Fairholt called?
- What is anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings called?
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms & antonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/background
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