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
contextually
adverbExplore Merriam-Webster
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
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While New Orleans and other cities have removed Confederate monuments, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who is black, is moving forward with plans to recast signage and add context to the statues of Gen. Robert E. Lee and others along Monument Avenue.
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In between dishes, Nichols will provide context, telling stories about her grandmother and the neighborhood’s history.
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In the social context of elite Washington, the Post’s nabbing Trump as a guest was a coup.
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USA Today's annual study of athletics departments across the country brings a little more context to those numbers.
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But while speaking about that process, No I.D. (Dion Wilson) also addressed the idea of 4:44 in context of Lemonade, and Bey's direct involvement with the entire project.
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For context, Medicaid expansion under Obamacare provided insurance to as many as 14 million more people.
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Maybe some of this is easier to see now, after Hunt fired general manager John Dorsey in a move that shocked the football world and is seen as unprecedented in its timing and context.
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Disregarding a person’s gender identity and misgendering them in any context adds insult to injury, especially when there is loss of life, compounding the tragedy by invalidating the authentic identity of the person who died.
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
Other Literature Terms
CONTEXT Defined for English Language Learners
context
playDefinition of context for English Language Learners
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: the words that are used with a certain word or phrase and that help to explain its meaning
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: the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens
CONTEXT Defined for Kids
context
playDefinition of context for Students
1 : the words that are used with a certain word in writing or speaking Without the context, I don't know what he meant by the word “odd.”
2 : the situation in which something happens The book considers her actions in their historical context.
Learn More about context
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See words that rhyme with context Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for context Spanish Central: Translation of context Nglish: Translation of context for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of context for Arabic speakers
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