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context
[ kon-tekst ]
noun
- the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect:
You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.
- the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc.
Synonyms: climate, milieu, background
- Mycology. the fleshy fibrous body of the pileus in mushrooms.
context
/ ˈkɒntɛkst /
noun
- the parts of a piece of writing, speech, etc, that precede and follow a word or passage and contribute to its full meaning
it is unfair to quote out of context
- the conditions and circumstances that are relevant to an event, fact, etc
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Other Words From
- context·less adjective
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of context1
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Example Sentences
Learning is best when it is built around doing, and when the context is practical, allowing students to try their hand at solving problems even as they’re still learning.
It’s hard not to look at today’s announcement in the context of the overall challenges that Mozilla is going through.
Unicef now plans to run a series of pilot programs with various partner countries to observe how practical and effective their guidelines are in different contexts.
The video above also provides the missing context from the clips.
Now, the spirit of the Bauhaus has been invoked once more, in the context of Europe’s grand plan to go green.
In that context, Sotto Sotto was one of the all-out survivors.
Prevalence depends on context, and sometimes unique advantages outweigh the genetic costs.
I recognize my inability to truly understand these events in the same context or view these events through exactly the same prism.
Just wanted to place it in the context of slates needing picture choices that throw off revenue to make the numbers work.
Clearly the liberation of Gross took place in the context of what might be called a “grand bargain.”
She held it while the trooper bent over the strange scrawl, and ran his eyes along it to learn the context.
If the context makes an otherwise indefinite thing definite, it is sufficient.
The context in Chaucer does not seem to warrant the interpretation given by Tyrwhit.
I alter pleyneth in l. 2302 to pleyeth, to suit the context more closely.
The translator could think of no better word, because the context is jocular.
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Related Words
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More About Context
What is context?
Context is a noun that means the parts of a statement that immediately precede or follow a specific section of the statement and help explain that section.
The context of a specific text clarifies the meaning of that text, as in When the politician was asked to apologize for lying, he claimed that he had been quoted out of context and that he wasn’t actually lying.
Context is also the conditions related to an event or situation that helps a person understand the event or situation. Conditions can include surroundings (where something took place), circumstances (what else was happening at the time), and background (such as events that happened before). For example, the context of a historical event, such as what else was happening at the time and how people understood their environment, can help us better understand the event itself.
One common expression that uses word context is context clues. Context clues are hints within a piece of writing that help us understand something unfamiliar, such as a word. For example, if you came across the word ethereal in a text, context clues could help you figure out that it means “delicate” and “beautiful.”
Another common expression that includes the word context is out of context. This expression is used to explain that the reason people understood a statement or text incorrectly was because the statement was removed from its surrounding text, which distorted its meaning.
Example: Understanding the historical and scientific contexts of the Romantic period are essential to understanding Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.”
Where does context come from?
The first records of the term context come from around the late 1300s to early 1400s. It comes from the Latin word contextus, meaning “a joining together, scheme, or structure.”
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms of context?
- contextless (adjective)
- contextual (adjective)
- contexture (noun)
- contextomy (noun)
What are some synonyms for context?
What are some words that share a root or word element with context?
What are some words that often get used in discussing context?
How is context used in real life?
The word context is a fairly common word used to refer to conditions or situations that give meaning to an event or behavior. It’s also commonly used to refer to the words surrounding a specific word or words in a text that give the text its meaning.
The best feeling in language learning is when you learn a new word, and then immediately see it again in an unrelated context. And you think, ‘I would have had no idea what this word meant if I had seen it last week, but now I do. I’m learning!’
— Fingtam Languages (@fingtamLangs) January 15, 2021
I think my favorite part about tweeting is that you don’t have to provide any context. You just say.
— C (@Frm79th) January 17, 2021
Please read this thread if you are considering tweeting offensive or otherwise problematic things you believe are self-evidently “irony” or “sarcasm”
It will not work. It will not land. It will not matter years later when people see those tweets “out of context.”
This is why.
— Catherynne M. Valente (@catvalente) January 5, 2021
Try using context!
True or False?
The context of a situation is what results from the situation.
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