as in different
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Dissimilar Words
as in differing
to be unlike; to not be the same
her depressed mood today contrasts sharply with her good spirits yesterday
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Recent Examples of contrasting
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
For instance, a classic contrasting pairing is oysters and stout.
—Jay R. Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
Esplar Logo Leather Sneakers These Esplar sneakers stay true to Veja’s classic style while featuring a contrasting brown rubber outsole that makes the white leather pop.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2025
Tyla’s bold look wholly centered her jacket, featuring shells with a shine of muted golds and silver throughout to accentuate the style and add contrasting tones to the overall look.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Solid colorways can be mixed and matched, while contrasting edge-trim ensures these never fall flat on your tablescape.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
The 2025 versions have much more contrasting offensive styles.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025
The national soccer teams of Argentina and Venezuela enter their friendly match at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night in starkly contrasting situations.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
After all, the moody duet features the gorgeously contrasting tones of Bon Iver's Justin Vernon with Swift's more delicate vocals as the two portray exes who are parsing what went wrong in their relationship.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
The contrasting edge-of-your-seat anxiety and Honnold’s chill, walk-in-the-park mood made for a weird vibe.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Numerous models walking for Rick Owens’ had contrasting short-long looks, as well, mixed with colorful additions.
—Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 27 Jan. 2026
Drawn from contrasting backgrounds, success would mean entirely different things for the two aeronauts.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Jan. 2026
The minimally contrasting color design easily fits a variety of aesthetics if your vibe is elegant and understated.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Jan. 2026
The new growth is golden-yellow, contrasting nicely with other darker evergreen trees and shrubs.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
In interviews with Caroline Ohlsson, who leads AI initiatives at European private equity firm Verdane, and Sanjot Malhi, a partner at venture capital firm Northzone, both offer contrasting but complementary perspectives on how investors are adapting to create value in the AI era.
—Charles Towers-Clark, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
If this content was meant to instill a heartwarming message about coming together despite contrasting beliefs, not everyone deployed it that way.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Guardiola may have defensive injury issues, too, but the respective physical toll exerted could not be more contrasting.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
For instance, a classic contrasting pairing is oysters and stout.
—Jay R. Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
Esplar Logo Leather Sneakers These Esplar sneakers stay true to Veja’s classic style while featuring a contrasting brown rubber outsole that makes the white leather pop.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2025
Tyla’s bold look wholly centered her jacket, featuring shells with a shine of muted golds and silver throughout to accentuate the style and add contrasting tones to the overall look.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Solid colorways can be mixed and matched, while contrasting edge-trim ensures these never fall flat on your tablescape.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
The 2025 versions have much more contrasting offensive styles.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025
The national soccer teams of Argentina and Venezuela enter their friendly match at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night in starkly contrasting situations.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
After all, the moody duet features the gorgeously contrasting tones of Bon Iver's Justin Vernon with Swift's more delicate vocals as the two portray exes who are parsing what went wrong in their relationship.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
Irish duo Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal also landed lead actress and supporting actor nods, respectively, for their performances as Agnes and William Shakespeare, two characters torn apart by contrasting experiences of grief after the loss of their son.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
The contrasting edge-of-your-seat anxiety and Honnold’s chill, walk-in-the-park mood made for a weird vibe.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Numerous models walking for Rick Owens’ had contrasting short-long looks, as well, mixed with colorful additions.
—Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 27 Jan. 2026
Drawn from contrasting backgrounds, success would mean entirely different things for the two aeronauts.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Jan. 2026
The minimally contrasting color design easily fits a variety of aesthetics if your vibe is elegant and understated.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 23 Jan. 2026
The new growth is golden-yellow, contrasting nicely with other darker evergreen trees and shrubs.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
In interviews with Caroline Ohlsson, who leads AI initiatives at European private equity firm Verdane, and Sanjot Malhi, a partner at venture capital firm Northzone, both offer contrasting but complementary perspectives on how investors are adapting to create value in the AI era.
—Charles Towers-Clark, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
If this content was meant to instill a heartwarming message about coming together despite contrasting beliefs, not everyone deployed it that way.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrasting
Adjective
-
Lori Coble was in the hospital with her own injuries from the crash when Rustad had the task of breaking the unbearable news about the loss of Kyle, Emma and Katie, who had been taken to different facilities.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
24 Jan. 2026
-
China is tacking in a different direction.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
They were asked to sort through Walmart's firearm sales policies, determine whether they were followed and weigh differing accounts inside the store of how widely Mace's troubles were known.—
DAN MORSE THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The prosecution and the defense called dueling bloodstain pattern analysts with differing conclusions about the crime scene.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Fiction was just one of the many forms her stories took, alongside radio broadcasts, war diaries, newspaper columns, memoirs, and translations, all penned in disparate parts of the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Fintech firms operating in NYC should preemptively evaluate their algorithms for disparate impacts and document measures to prevent bias.—
AJ Dhaliwal,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The neckline and bodice also featured contrasted fabric to the more muted emerald tone of the midi dress.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Its light blue gingham plaid is made of cotton fabric, and the stocking is adorned with a mint green bow for a contrasted look.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The highs of the season were incomparable, with enough late-game magic for three or four years.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contrasting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrasting. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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