context
noun
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Context, in Context
In its earliest uses (documented in the 15th century), context meant "the weaving together of words in language." This sense, now obsolete, developed logically from the word's source in Latin, contexere "to weave or join together." Context now most commonly refers to the environment or setting in which something (whether words or events) exists. When we say that something is contextualized, we mean that it is placed in an appropriate setting, one in which it may be properly considered.
Synonyms
Examples of context in a Sentence
John Mullan, How Novels Work, 2006
Entrepreneurship and civil freedoms depend on a context of civil order, predictability, and individual security.
—Susan L. Woodward, Balkan Tragedy, 1995
… the old building, its original acre, inside its high outer wall, was immune to change, out of context and out of time.
—Harriet Doerr, The Tiger in the Grass, 1995
We need to look at the event within the larger context of world history.
The book puts these events in their proper historical and social contexts.
We need to consider these events in context.
John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
Placing their work within a larger context of artistic expression, Scorsese went on to compare their films with the work of Shakespeare.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2024
The 2020s are nobody’s favorite decade, so why not retreat into the past (i.e. long before anyone wore face masks outside of a medical context, or thought of Donald Trump as anything other than a buffoonish real-estate mogul) with a nostalgic retrospective of the best 1980s movies?
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 18 Aug. 2024
Historical data from prior campaigns reveals what has worked or not, and adds further context to analyses.
—Michelle Greenwald, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for context 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'context.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near context
Cite this Entry
“Context.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/context. Accessed 8 Sep. 2024.
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context
noun
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