as in contrasts
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.
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Recent Examples of counterpoints
Sleek white perimeter cabinets, quartz countertops, and barstools are other modern counterpoints to the dark wood.
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Kelly Ryan Kegans, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2025
Neither Ada nor Angèle’s scenes serve as counterpoints to the more urgent drama facing Maxine, merely making the movie feel unbalanced and disjointed.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
American describes the broader arc as threefold—Butler’s relationship to California’s geography; her matrilineal inheritance; and finally, her visions of space travel as counterpoints to today’s privatized explorations.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 2 Sep. 2025
Kelly Ryan Kegans, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2025
Neither Ada nor Angèle’s scenes serve as counterpoints to the more urgent drama facing Maxine, merely making the movie feel unbalanced and disjointed.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
American describes the broader arc as threefold—Butler’s relationship to California’s geography; her matrilineal inheritance; and finally, her visions of space travel as counterpoints to today’s privatized explorations.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterpoints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterpoints. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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