foreground

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ˈfɔrɡraʊnd/ UK /ˈfɔːɡraʊnd/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
the part of a scene nearest the viewer; to make prominent

A small boat sat in the foreground of the painting.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the part of a scene nearest... front forefront emphasize highlight spotlight feature

Opposites

background backdropdownplay

Word family

Derived forms foregrounding

Related forms fore ground

Etymology

A compound of fore- ('front') and ground, modeled on Dutch voorgrond, originally a painting term for the nearest part of a scene; the verb sense 'to make prominent' is a modern figurative extension.

fore Old English grund Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process

# foreground

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈfɔrɡraʊnd
**IPA (UK):** ˈfɔːɡraʊnd

## Meanings
1. the part of a scene nearest the viewer; to make prominent

## Examples
- A small boat sat in the foreground of the painting.

## Synonyms
- front
- forefront
- emphasize
- highlight
- spotlight
- feature

## Antonyms
- background
- backdrop
- downplay

## Derived Forms
- foregrounding

## Related Forms
- fore
- ground

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fore
- Root: grund
- Affix: fore- - before

## Etymology
A compound of fore- ('front') and ground, modeled on Dutch voorgrond, originally a painting term for the nearest part of a scene; the verb sense 'to make prominent' is a modern figurative extension.

## AI Etymology
Foreground is a compound of fore- ('front') and ground, modeled on Dutch voorgrond, originally a painting term for the nearest part of a scene; the verb sense 'to make prominent' is a modern figurative extension. The etymological trail includes Old English fore and Old English grund. As a noun, foreground names the part of a scene nearest the viewer; to make prominent. The same family is visible in related forms such as fore and ground. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process

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