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

Example Sentences

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

Word History

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 21 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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