context

noun con·text \ ˈkän-ˌtekst \

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

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contextless

play \ˈkän-ˌtekst-ləs\ adjective

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contextual

play \kän-ˈteks-chə-wəl, kən-, -chəl, -chü-əl\ adjective

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contextually

adverb

See context defined for English-language learners

See context defined for kids

Examples of context in a Sentence

… 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
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.

Recent Examples of context from the Web

The works on display—mostly paintings and photographs, but also a few sculptures and a video—depict women in a variety of contexts.

— kerry cardoza, Chicago Reader, "‘Woman As Warrior’ works, but not because of its artworks," 30 Aug. 2017
When playing at schools, SistaStrings incorporates historical context while performing songs by African-American artists, the duo's Monique Ross said.

— piet levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "After Charlottesville, Milwaukee musicians respond to racism with Strange Fruit festival," 28 Aug. 2017
But in other contexts, our leaders — in all realms — should offer more open appreciation and acknowledgment for the infinite assortment of other ways in which Canada is not different from the United States, much to our benefit.

— j. j. mccullough, National Review, "I Love America (and the Alt-Right Doesn’t)," 28 Aug. 2017
But the boffins at Continental (the tire company) have been rethinking the standard way of doing things, specifically in the context of small and medium-size electric vehicles.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "Continental rethinks the wheel—and the brake—for electric cars," 25 Aug. 2017
Only then did Letterman expose Trump's hypocrisy about China, which in context appeared as much an attempt at saving face as a defiant takedown.

— the new york times, NOLA.com, "Dave and The Donald: How a talk show helped Trump hone his talking points," 23 Aug. 2017
For context, the role of labor is often to sit across the table and negotiate with corporations and CEOs who are determined to put profits over people.

— thea lee, Cosmopolitan, "Why I Served on Trump’s Manufacturing Council — and Why I Left," 21 Aug. 2017
The University of Mississippi has also added a plaque to a Confederate monument at the entrance to Lyceum Circle to add context and assert the university’s commitment to diversity.

— melissa cordell, Seventeen, "These Colleges Still Have Confederate Symbolism On Campus — And It's 2017," 17 Aug. 2017
Many things are done in the name of God and taken out of context.

— michelle l. quinn, Post-Tribune, "Charlottesville violence prompts Highland rally," 13 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'context.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

context, in Context

In its earliest uses (documented in the 15th century), context meant "the weaving together of words in language." This sense, now obsolete, developed logically from the word's source in Latin, contexere "to weave or join together." Context now most commonly refers to the environment or setting in which something (whether words or events) exists. When we say that something is contextualized, we mean that it is placed in an appropriate setting, one in which it may be properly considered.

Origin and Etymology 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1568

See Words from the same year

context Synonyms

Synonyms

ambient, atmosphere, climate, clime, environment, contexture, environs, medium, milieu, mise-en-scène, setting, surround, surroundings, terrain

Related Words

location, place, position, space; backdrop, background; element; situation, status; geography, habitat; microenvironment

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

CONTEXT Defined for English Language Learners

context

noun

Definition of context for English Language Learners

: 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