context

noun con·text \ ˈkän-ˌtekst \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: context in a Sentence

Editor's Note: context, in Context

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

For context, that same weekend's Formula One Canadian Grand Prix drew three times that audience on ABC, while NHRA qualifying from Richmond drew 374,000 viewers on FS1.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "IndyCar midseason review, part II: What's gone wrong," 15 June 2018
For context, that’s roughly the slot value for the 47th pick in last week’s draft.

— gabe lacques, USA TODAY, "Why Nationals teen-phenom Juan Soto may be here to stay," 14 June 2018
Since being posted on Facebook on June 8, the post has garnered over 800 likes — for context, the department’s previous post on electrical fires received eight likes.

— emily bloch, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Baby boom at Davie Fire Rescue gets viral reaction," 13 June 2018
For context, the Tampa Bay Rays had a majors-best plus-17 rating.

— scott lauber, Philly.com, "Infield coach explains why Phillies are confident in run-prevention strategy | Scott Lauber," 8 June 2018
Just for context, one month ago, MasterCard reported a 38% increase in revenue...to $3.5bn.

— ryan gaydos, Fox News, "MasterCard scraps World Cup meal-donation campaign after outrage," 6 June 2018
For context, most parties take around three days to climb the route.

— matt skenazy, Outside Online, "Honnold and Caldwell Break Two Hours on El Cap's Nose," 6 June 2018
For context, when Warren dropped out a month ago, his field director tweeted that the campaign had identified 862 delegates (of a total of 5,382) who would have voted for Warren — that’s 16 percent of the total delegates.

— james pindell, BostonGlobe.com, "Four things to watch as the Mass. Democratic convention gets underway," 1 June 2018
For context, Ripple can handle 1,500 transactions per second, while Bitcoin can reportedly only handle seven in the same timespan.

— polina marinova, Fortune, "Ripple CEO Says Bitcoin Is the 'Napster of Digital Assets'," 31 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

context Synonyms

Synonyms

ambient, atmosphere, climate, clime, environment, environs, medium, milieu, setting, surround, surroundings, terrain;

Related Words

location, place, position, space;

backdrop, background;

element;

situation, status;

geography, habitat;

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