context
con·text
noun \ˈkän-ˌtekst\: the words that are used with a certain word or phrase and that help to explain its meaning
: the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens
Full Definition of CONTEXT
1
: the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning
2
: the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs : environment, setting <the historical context of the war>
— con·text·less \-ˌtekst-ləs\ adjective
— con·tex·tu·al \kän-ˈteks-chə-wəl, kən-, -chəl, -chü-əl\ adjective
— con·tex·tu·al·ly adverb
Examples of CONTEXT
- We need to look at the event within the larger context of world history.
- The book puts these events in their proper historical and social contexts.
- We need to consider these events in context.
- … it was Dickens who first used the word ‘detective’ in a literary context … —John Mullan, How Novels Work, 2006
- Entrepreneurship and civil freedoms depend on a context of civil order, predictability, and individual security. —Susan L. Woodward, Balkan Tragedy, 1995
- … the old building, its original acre, inside its high outer wall, was immune to change, out of context and out of time. —Harriet Doerr, The Tiger in the Grass, 1995
- [+]more
Origin of CONTEXT
Middle English, weaving together of words, from Latin contextus connection of words, coherence, from contexere to weave together, from com- + texere to weave — more at technical
First Known Use: circa 1568
Related to CONTEXT
- Synonyms
- ambient, atmosphere, climate, clime, environment, contexture, environs, medium, milieu, mise-en-scène, setting, surround, surroundings, terrain
Other Literature Terms
Learn More About CONTEXT
Browse
Next Word in the Dictionary: context–free
Previous Word in the Dictionary: conteur
All Words Near: context
Previous Word in the Dictionary: conteur
All Words Near: context
Ask The Editor Videos
Seen & Heard 
What made you want to look up context? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).


See 













