SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

contrastive

play

adjective con·tras·tive \kən-ˈtra-stiv, ˈkän-ˌtra-\

Definition of contrastive

: forming or consisting of a contrast

contrastively

adverb

1841

First Known Use of contrastive

1841

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up contrastive? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

threshold

play

the point at which something begins

Words at Play

That Sucks Word Alternatives

Your day is the worst. Your vocabulary is the best.

alt-5931949575ca5

'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

alt-59480e09b8844

A Pineapple Is An Apple (Kind Of)

Pineapple once had a different, more internationally common name.

alt-594938b88b98e

Read This to Get 'Smart'

A thinking person's guide

Ask the Editors

Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us

June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz

alt-5941ad7527c3c

Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game