Definition of silhouette
1 : a likeness cut from dark material and mounted on a light ground or one sketched in outline and solidly colored in
2 : the outline of a body viewed as circumscribing a mass the silhouette of a bird
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Examples of silhouette in a Sentence
the silhouettes of buildings against the sky
The buildings appeared in silhouette against the sky.
My piano teacher has a framed silhouette of Mozart on her wall.
a portrait of my mother done in silhouette
He admired the sports car's sleek silhouette.
Did You Know?
Before the age of the photograph, the silhouette, either cut from paper or painted, was the most affordable portrait that could be made. The art enjoyed a golden age in the second half of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries, when many people collected them. Although silhouettes were well-loved, the man for whom they were named was not: Étienne de Silhouette was France's finance minister under Louis XV and was notorious for both his frugality and his hobby of making cut-paper shadow portraits. The phrase à la Silhouette came to mean "on the cheap," and portraits like the ones he produced were (satirically) bestowed with his name as well.
Origin and Etymology of silhouette
French, from Étienne de Silhouette †1767 French controller general of finances; perhaps from his ephemeral tenure
First Known Use: 1783
Synonym Discussion of silhouette
silhouette
Definition of silhouette
silhouetted
;silhouetting
transitive verb
: to represent by a silhouette; also : to project on a background like a silhouette
Examples of silhouette in a Sentence
in the photograph the majestic mountain is strikingly silhouetted against the setting sun
1876
First Known Use of silhouette
1876
SILHOUETTE Defined for English Language Learners
silhouette
playDefinition of silhouette for English Language Learners
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: a dark shape in front of a light background
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: a picture of something showing it as a dark shape on a light background; especially : such a picture showing a person's face from the side
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: the shape or outline of something
silhouette
Definition of silhouette for English Language Learners
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: to make (someone or something) appear as a dark shape in front of a light background
SILHOUETTE Defined for Kids
History for silhouette
A man named Étienne de Silhouette was once in charge of the finances of France. He was a miser who did not like to spend his money or the country's money. According to one story he was too cheap to buy paintings for the walls of his mansion, and so he made simple outline drawings to hang in place of paintings. In French and in English silhouette still means “an outline drawing.”
Definition of silhouette for Students
silhouetted
;silhouetting
: to represent by an outline : show against a light background An airplane was silhouetted against the sky.
Learn More about silhouette
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See words that rhyme with silhouette Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for silhouette Spanish Central: Translation of silhouette Nglish: Translation of silhouette for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of silhouette for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about silhouette
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