silhouettes
silhouettes — noun
- silhouettessingular
- silhouettesesplural
1. the dark shape of a person, animal, or thing seen against a much brighter backgr
the dark shape of a person, animal, or thing seen against a much brighter background, with no detail visible inside the outline
Hao watched the silhouettes of birds move across the bright tent roof at sunset.
From the hilltop, Imani could see deer silhouettes against the orange evening sky.
silhouette + against [light background]
The old hotel stood as a dark silhouette on the ridge before sunrise.
Talia noticed a silhouette appear in the doorway and held her breath.
The sea captain pointed at the silhouette of a distant ship on the horizon.
用法筆記
Do not confuse with 'shadow': a shadow is cast onto a surface when light is blocked, while a silhouette is the dark form itself viewed against a brighter background.
常見錯誤
2. a picture or cut-out artwork that shows only the outline of a person or object,
a picture or cut-out artwork that shows only the outline of a person or object, usually filled in with solid black and displayed against a pale background
Aylin's grandmother still kept a framed silhouette of each child from the 1950s.
silhouette as a framed portrait or keepsake
The art students practiced cutting paper silhouettes with small, sharp scissors.
paper silhouette (cut-out art form)
Antonia found an old silhouette of her great-grandfather in the family album.
The museum displayed Victorian-era silhouettes in rows of oval wooden frames.
The street artist made a paper silhouette of the tourist in under five minutes.
- profile portrait
specifically a side-view portrait showing only the outline
- cut-paper portrait
emphasises the physical cut-out technique
- outline drawing
more general; may include internal lines and is not always filled in
- detailed portrait
a portrait showing facial features, shading, and colour rather than just an outline
用法筆記
This sense refers specifically to an artwork or crafted object. For the naturally occurring dark shape, see sense 1 (DARK OUTLINE).
silhouettes — verb
- silhouettespresent simple I / you / we / they
- silhouetteses3rd person singular
- silhouettesing-ing form
- silhouettesedpast simple
1. to show someone or something as a dark outline against a lighter background, so
to show someone or something as a dark outline against a lighter background, so that only their shape is visible and all inner detail is lost
The old lighthouse was silhouetted against the bright morning sun as the ferry approached.
passive: be silhouetted against [background]
Caleb silhouetted the model's profile onto black paper with a steady hand.
active: silhouette + object + onto [surface]
The bare branches of the oak tree were silhouetted sharply against the pale winter moon.
The film director silhouetted the hero against the burning building for the final shot.
At dusk, the distant figures were silhouetted on the ridge by the fading orange light.
文法句型
be silhouetted against [background]
用法筆記
Almost always used in the passive voice. Active use is rare and typically appears in descriptions of artistic or film-making processes.