backgrounds

noun

plural of background
1
as in backdrops
the physical conditions or features that form the setting against which something is viewed they got married on a mountain top with the sunset as background

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in settings
the place and time in which the action for a portion of a dramatic work (as a movie) is set the background of that movie is the World War II era

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of backgrounds His winning series, taken across the Netherlands, turns to the street markets, a space where people of all ages and backgrounds meet, exchange words, share warmth and move on. — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Yet the wilderness is just plain green, a meeting spot for people of all backgrounds and political views, from deer hunters to biologists, bass fishermen to poets. — Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 3 July 2026 These stories are everywhere on this map of American ancestry, which shows how people described their backgrounds to the Census Bureau. — Albert Sun, New York Times, 2 July 2026 The establishment of the new company combines the distinct organizational backgrounds of both parent entities. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026 Any platform, from Zoom to Microsoft, can be compatible with scammers utilizing deepfakes, fake profiles or convincing backgrounds such as an FBI seal. — Ella Moore july 2, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026 Different beliefs, different backgrounds, different cultures—but united by compassion and humanity. — Vahe Gregorian july 2, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 The palace said Kate — who also helped out in a Wimbledon ticket office — was to meet with children from Shine Camera Club, a local program that supports children from disadvantaged backgrounds. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 The previous game’s all-star cast returned, but now Mark Hamill, Tom Wilson, Malcolm McDowell, and the rest were performing not on videotape in front of digital backgrounds but on 35mm film stock and enormous real sets—lots of enormous real sets. — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backgrounds
  1. backdrops
  2. settings
  3. scenes
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Oregon and Washington state shared an empty pavilion, with nothing but backdrops that showed beavers and the ocean or Amazon packages and the ocean, respectively.
    — Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2026
  • For those of us who live in Australia, there was a surreal quality to witnessing the frenzied panic of a mass shooting unfold against one of the country’s most iconic backdrops.
    — Oscar Schwartz, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of backdrops
Noun
  • Examine the weight, stone settings, clasps, and overall condition.
    — Micaela English, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
  • If a state starts to provide services in institutional settings, legal challenges probably would follow, the department said.
    — Annie Ma, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of settings
Noun
  • Rodríguez described scenes of children hospitalized with amputations and survivors grieving multiple family deaths.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • Claudia Wells plays Marty McFly's girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, who appears in scenes that bookend the original Back to the Future.
    — Jonathon Dornbush, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026
Definition of scenes

Browse Nearby Words

background
backgrounds
backhand
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Cite this Entry

“Backgrounds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backgrounds. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on backgrounds

Nglish: Translation of backgrounds for Spanish Speakers

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