foreground
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the part of a view, photograph, or painting that is closest to the person looking at it.
n.the portion of a scene or representation that is nearest to the viewer, typically appearing at the bottom of a two-dimensional image.
Simple“In the foreground of the photo, you can see a small wooden bench.”
In context“The artist painted vibrant wildflowers in the foreground to create a sense of depth against the hazy mountains in the distance.”
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.the program or window that you are currently using on a computer screen.
n.the state of an application or window that is currently receiving user input and is positioned in front of all other windows.
Simple“The video player stayed in the foreground while I was typing my notes.”
In context“The operating system is designed to prioritise resources for whichever application is currently running in the foreground.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'in'.
Synonymsactive windowAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
v.to make something the most important part of a situation or a piece of writing.
v.to bring something to the forefront of attention; to emphasize or give prominence to a specific detail or theme.
Simple“The report foregrounds the need for better public transport in the city.”
In context“The director's latest film deliberately foregrounds the psychological trauma of the protagonist rather than focusing on the external action.”
“Fred is positioned closer to the foreground, but he’s turned toward Marcia, his hand curled into a tight fist.”
From fore- + ground. Compare Dutch voorgrond (“foreground”), German Vordergrund (“foreground”), Danish forgrund (“foreground”), Swedish förgrund (“foreground”), Norwegian forgrunn (“foreground”), Icelandic forgrunni (“foreground”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.