contrastive
Highlighting the distinctions
Contrastive means serving to contrast or highlight differences.
In linguistics, contrastive analysis compares languages to identify where learners might struggle: Contrastive studies of English and Japanese reveal different sentence structures.
More broadly, contrastive describes anything that works by setting things against each other: The painter's contrastive use of light and shadow creates dramatic effect.
Notable difference or honor
- divergenceSeparation from common origin
- disparityMeasurable difference between things
- dissimilarityState of being unlike
- varianceSpread around the mean
discrepancy · unlikeness · heterogeneity · differentiation · opposition · antithesis · polarity · dichotomy
Direct opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- foilDefeat a plan
- counterargumentPoint challenging another's position
- juxtapositionAdjacent contrasting placement
- parallelismMatching structural elements
oxymoron · paradox · irony · chiasmus · balance · opposition · rebuttal · counterpoint
Most notable part
- emphasisStress given to something
- boldCourageous and daring
- saturationState of complete permeation
- brightnessDegree of light emitted
value · hue · chiaroscuro · tonal · shading · silhouette · figure-ground · foreground
Adjacent contrasting placement
- side-by-sidePositioned next to another
- comparativeInvolving measured contrast
- parallelEquidistant at all points
- analogicalBased on likeness
correlational · benchmarking · cross-referencing · matching · pairing · weighing · evaluating · measuring
Minimal distinctive sound unit
- allophoneNon-distinctive sound variation
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- interlanguageEvolving system between tongues
- transferMove between locations
interference · bilingualism · code-switching · typology · morphology · syntax · cross-linguistic · TEFL
distinction
Notable difference or honor
- divergenceSeparation from common origin
- disparityMeasurable difference between things
- dissimilarityState of being unlike
variance · discrepancy · unlikeness · heterogeneity · differentiation · opposition · antithesis · polarity · dichotomy · incongruity
antithesis
Direct opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- foilDefeat a plan
- counterargumentPoint challenging another's position
- juxtapositionAdjacent contrasting placement
parallelism · oxymoron · paradox · irony · chiasmus · balance · opposition · rebuttal · counterpoint · dialectic
highlight
Most notable part
- emphasisStress given to something
- boldCourageous and daring
- saturationState of complete permeation
brightness · value · hue · chiaroscuro · tonal · shading · silhouette · figure-ground · foreground · background
juxtaposition
Adjacent contrasting placement
- side-by-sidePositioned next to another
- comparativeInvolving measured contrast
- parallelEquidistant at all points
analogical · correlational · benchmarking · cross-referencing · matching · pairing · weighing · evaluating · measuring · assessing
phoneme
Minimal distinctive sound unit
- allophoneNon-distinctive sound variation
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- interlanguageEvolving system between tongues
transfer · interference · bilingualism · code-switching · typology · morphology · syntax · cross-linguistic · TEFL
- phonologyphonemes, phoneme, consonants, vowels, allophone
- writing stylesformal, informal, minimalism, maximalism, concise
contrastivesimilar
Resembling another thing
same · identical · synonymous · like · analogous
contrastiveharmonious
Pleasingly in accord
complementary · harmonizing · blending · congruent · consonant
- contrasting colorsHues that emphasize difference
- comparing and contrastingAnalyzing similarities and differences
- contrastive analysisMethod comparing language structures