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.

Musk could imagine the photo of the green shoots against the Mars background.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

After he did so, Phelan could be heard laughing in the background.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

Bessent has neither the background nor the experience to handle the press.

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026

Hugely grateful to my co-showrunner, Ben Karlin, who’s got himself a really eclectic background.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

The second attachment is another, more recent picture, with the same gray background.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

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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