contrastive

adjective

con·​tras·​tive kən-ˈtra-stiv How to pronounce contrastive (audio) ˈkän-ˌtra- How to pronounce contrastive (audio)
: forming or consisting of a contrast
contrastively adverb

Examples of contrastive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This can be made to work using some of the latest developments in non-contrastive SSL methods, particularly a method that my colleagues and I recently proposed called VICReg (Variance, Invariance, Covariance Regularization). IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2022 The two women, mostly onstage together, occupy the zones separately, their contrastive presences balanced: Ms. Beiser hot and more sedentary, Ms. Whelan cool but mobile. Brian Seibert, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2019 While climbing a Martian mountain, NASA's Curiosity rover has come across a crater capable of creating contrastive chemical environments. David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 14 Dec. 2016 The group with contrastive analysis not only discovered something about English. The Economist, 2 Nov. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contrastive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

contrast entry 1 + -ive

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of contrastive was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near contrastive

Cite this Entry

“Contrastive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrastive. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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