SKIP TO CONTENT

silhouette

/ˌˈsɪləˌwɛt/
/sɪləˈwɛt/
IPA guide

Other forms: silhouetted; silhouettes; silhouetting

A silhouette is dark shadow, like a silhouette of a person standing under a street lamp, or a drawing that shows only the shape of an object.

A silhouette, pronounced "sil-ooh-ET," can be mysterious. After all, you can only see the shape of the person or object. So, it's fitting that the word's origin is a little mysterious, too. It was coined for Etienne de Silhouette, a French finance minister. One theory is that Silhouette decorated his chateau with the kind of dark outline drawings that now bear his name.

Definitions of silhouette
  1. noun
    a drawing of the outline of an object; filled in with some uniform color
    see moresee less
    type of:
    drawing
    a representation of forms or objects on a surface by means of lines
  2. noun
    an outline of a solid object (as cast by its shadow)
    see moresee less
    type of:
    lineation, outline
    the line that appears to bound an object
  3. verb
    represent by a silhouette
    see moresee less
    type of:
    interpret, represent
    create an image or likeness of
  4. verb
    project on a background, such as a screen, like a silhouette
    see moresee less
    type of:
    project
    project on a screen
Pronunciation
US
/ˌˈsɪləˌwɛt/
UK
/sɪləˈwɛt/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘silhouette'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of gold-punch.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family