background

[bak-ground] / ˈbækˌgraʊnd /

NOUN

experience or circumstances

Synonyms

STRONGEST

backdrop culture education environment history practice qualification tradition training upbringing

STRONG

accomplishments acquirement actions atmosphere attainment aura breeding capacity credentials cultivation deeds framework grounding preparation rearing seasoning

Antonyms

STRONGEST

ignorance

WEAK

foreground

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She channels this background into paintings that combine these cultures into a surreal, unified whole.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Gravitational pulls from planets slowly tug on the individual fragments in different ways, causing the once compact stream to spread out and eventually blend into the background dust filling the solar system.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

The video, which was obtained in October by Politico, showed Porter erupting at a staff member who appeared in the background of a prerecorded Zoom call between the former congresswoman and then-Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

Centuries of human intervention - selective breeding and propagation - have made the genetic background of many commercial orchids a "disaster", according to leading Dutch orchid breeding firm Floricultura.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

I’ll never again snuggle into Lita, rub the soft underside of her arm, and listen to one of her cuentos while her chickens cluck in the background.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Vocabulary lists containing background

Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)

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Close Reading: The Art and Craft of Rhetorical Analysis (Chapter 2)

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