Synonyms for

Backgrounds

Verb / ˈbæˌkgraʊndz / Another word for backgrounds — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Synonyms & similar words

backgroundknowledge background playup setting desktop playdown backdrop foreground ground scope backcloth downplay backgroundsignal screenbackground setting scene environment context milieu backdrop framework canvas stage history legacy past tradition experience education training ancestry origin

Synonyms by register

Formal

context setting environment origin

Informal

roots past upbringing story

Literary

provenance ancestry lineage

Antonyms

foreground prominence forefront center focus lead

Common collocations

  • family backgrounds
  • cultural backgrounds
  • socioeconomic backgrounds
  • educational backgrounds
  • professional backgrounds
  • diverse backgrounds
  • humble backgrounds
  • ethnic backgrounds

Word family

noun background
verb background
adjective background

Usage note

The word 'background' can refer to a person's origin, education, or experience, or to the setting of a scene. It is often used in the plural to discuss diversity.

Example sentences

  1. 1. The background scenery in the movie was breathtaking.
  2. 2. My computer background is a picture of my cat.
  3. 3. The teacher asked us to write about our family backgrounds.
  4. 4. The background noise in the restaurant was too loud.
  5. 5. The company checked my background before hiring me.

Quotes

  • 1. "The background is always more important than the foreground." - Joyce Carol Oates
  • 2. "It's not the background that matters; it's the foreground." - Dan Brown
  • 3. "A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed." - Ansel Adams

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