Synonyms for background
ˈbækˌgraʊndback·ground

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. backgroundnoun

   a person's social heritage: previous experience or training

   "he is a lawyer with a sports background"

   Synonyms:
   setting, background signal, scope, backcloth, screen background, desktop, background knowledge, backdrop, ground

   Antonyms:
   highlight, play up, foreground, spotlight

2. background, groundnoun

   the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground

   "he posed her against a background of rolling hills"

   Synonyms:
   screen background, setting, ground, priming coat, primer, background signal, soil, undercoat, basis, solid ground, dry land, primer coat, footing, land, priming, backcloth, background knowledge, scope, reason, flat coat, backdrop, desktop, earth, terra firma

   Antonyms:
   play up, foreground, spotlight, highlight

3. background, background knowledgenoun

   information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem

   "the embassy filled him in on the background of the incident"

   Synonyms:
   setting, background signal, scope, backcloth, screen background, desktop, background knowledge, backdrop, ground

   Antonyms:
   foreground, spotlight, highlight, play up

4. background, background signalnoun

   extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured

   "they got a bad connection and could hardly hear one another over the background signals"

   Synonyms:
   setting, background signal, scope, backcloth, screen background, desktop, background knowledge, backdrop, ground

   Antonyms:
   foreground, spotlight, highlight, play up

5. backgroundnoun

   relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation

   "when the rain came he could hear the sound of thunder in the background"

   Synonyms:
   setting, background signal, scope, backcloth, screen background, desktop, background knowledge, backdrop, ground

   Antonyms:
   play up, spotlight, highlight, foreground

6. setting, background, scopenoun

   the state of the environment in which a situation exists

   "you can't do that in a university setting"

   Synonyms:
   place setting, screen background, scene, compass, ground, telescope, background signal, circumstance, reach, cathode-ray oscilloscope, ambit, setting, range, mise en scene, oscilloscope, backcloth, background knowledge, scope, mount, orbit, backdrop, desktop, context, stage setting

   Antonyms:
   play up, highlight, foreground, spotlight

7. background, desktop, screen backgroundnoun

   (computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear

   Synonyms:
   setting, background signal, scope, backcloth, screen background, desktop, background knowledge, backdrop, ground

   Antonyms:
   foreground, play up, highlight, spotlight

8. backdrop, background, backclothverb

   scenery hung at back of stage

   Synonyms:
   setting, background signal, scope, backcloth, desktop, background knowledge, screen background, backdrop, ground

   Antonyms:
   play up, highlight, foreground, spotlight

9. background, play down, downplayverb

   understate the importance or quality of

   "he played down his royal ancestry"

   Synonyms:
   downplay, minimize, play down, understate, minimise

   Antonyms:
   highlight, foreground, play up, spotlight

Matched Categories

1. • Accompaniment
   • Computer Science
   • Environment
   • Heritage
   • Noise
   • Screen
   • View

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "background":

   context, backdrop, backgrounds, historic, substantive, fund, historical, history, basic, ambient, origin, reminder, merits, reference, basis, general, contextual, bottom, base, historique, recall, information, record, environment, origins, substance, core, light, framework

How to pronounce background?

How to say background in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use background in a sentence?

1. John Cornyn:

   I'm sure John Cornyn's thinking about how long it takes to process a nomination, do the appropriate background checks, that sort of thing, maybe that's what John Cornyn's thinking. But we'll just have to wait and see. I assure you that if there's a vacancy, Senator( Mitch) McConnell and Senator Grassley will make that a priority.

2. Tim Long:

   Wall Street analysts like that Cisco is appointing someone as CEO that has a strong sales background, and Wall Street analysts expect the employee base to be very supportive of the appointment.

3. Marty Ralph:

   Warmer atmospheric temperatures, in general, will mean the freezing levels are higher than they've been in the past, but while storms vary, even without climate change and some can be extra warm, just by natural situation, it's clear the background warming should increase the [ freezing ] levels.

4. Mukhiddin Kabiri:

   What is happening in the country will play into the hands of radicals and more and more youths, having lost all trust in the government, will join the ranks of extremist groups, perhaps, this is what the Tajik government wants in order to draw the international community to its side against the background of growing extremist tendencies.

5. Frank Gersdorf:

   In such an ecological system like the one here and with the background that climate is changing, I cannot understand why another location was not selected from the beginning.