COUNTERPOINT Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

counterpoint

noun

as in contrast

something or someone that is different from another especially in a pleasing way The warm color palette of the furniture is the perfect counterpoint to the cool walls. The acidity of the sauce works in counterpoint to the richness of the dish.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of counterpoint His rhythmic language is Latin, as is Negrón’s, but in Sierra’s case that is used not so much for its own sake but to draw you into his overlays of complex counterpoint and sensuous Ravel-like colors. —

Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026 The cotton-like pie is a welcome counterpoint to rich Basque or New York cheesecakes, two iterations that lean headfirst into creamy density. —

Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 26 May 2026 Anadol’s Unsupervised finds its counterpoint in Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler’s Anatomy of an AI (2018), which maps the minerals, labor, data centers, and water involved in executing a single Amazon Echo command. —

Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026 Also, his character represents a sort of counterpoint, a social counterpoint, to the other characters in the film. —

Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for counterpoint

Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterpoint

Noun

The Cubs’ Javier Assad, by contrast, shut down the Giants’ offense for a second straight outing, tossing six scoreless innings with five strikeouts to one walk.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
Live variety specials, by contrast, edged up to 28 from 26.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 June 2026