background.

1. The part of a scene or image that appears behind or farther from the observer than the main nearer elements.

2. The prior circumstances, experience or information that provide context for a person or matter.

3. The less prominent part of an activity or attention, operating alongside what is currently central.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• in the background
• background of an image

On the page

A narrow tower appeared in the background beyond the nearer roofs.

The background of the image remained indistinct while the front edge was sharply drawn.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Singular background; plural backgrounds. Also uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, narrative analysis, characterization, contrast. Disciplines: literary analysis, prose writing, advanced general English. Commonness: moderately common.