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background

background

627 3.4
The education, work, and life experience that shape a person's skills
  • noun
  • /ˈbækɡraʊnd/
translation icon : formación (académica/profesional)
  • Her artistic talent can be traced back to her rich background in music and theater.
  • ethnic background
  • diverse backgrounds
  • cultural background

But I didn't have the background in skating.

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Examples

  • When you have people from multiple backgrounds, you have fewer shared values.

  • Teachers might ask students to write about their musical backgrounds, skills, preferences, and experiences.

    Academic text (2013)
  • That was really, that came from my background in, in the Air Force.

  • And did you have a design background at that?

  • Well, I come from a very simple background.

  • Any professionals with a health or social care background were eligible to participate in the study.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The learners were of diverse language backgrounds, and for most learners, English was an additional language.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Most students at Community came from low socioeconomic backgrounds and were predominantly white.

    Academic text (2015)
  • You've gotta learn to get along with people from different neighborhoods, different backgrounds.

  • All described themselves as mature students because of their non-traditional backgrounds and differential life experiences.

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

context
vsbackground
685 3.4

The circumstances that surround and explain a situation

applies more specifically to personal life events and training shaping someone
origin
vsbackground
163 2.3

The family background and country where someone’s family comes from

includes life experiences and training beyond ancestry that influence character
backstory
vsbackground
56 4.1

Past events about a person or situation that explain why they do things now

is about a real person's experiences and training shaping their abilities
descent
vsbackground
51 4.6

The family a person comes from, for example parents or grandparents

covers wider personal history and learned skills not only lineage
the story behind
vsbackground
21 3.3

The reason and past events that explain why something happened

focuses on a person's past experiences and training that shape them
historical context
vsbackground
16 4.1

Facts and events from the past that help explain something

relates instead to a person's personal experiences and training over life

Compounds

background noise
  • Specialized
11 3.5

Unwanted sounds that make it hard to hear or record something

background radiation
  • Specialized
5 4.1

Low-level energy from natural sources in the environment, like cosmic rays and rocks, not from the thing being tested

2 8.3

Faint microwaves left from the early universe that fill space

1 6.6

A weak glow of heat left from the Big Bang that fills the universe

A faint microwave glow left from the early universe that fills space nearly evenly

Information you already know from past experience that helps you understand new things

background level
  • Specialized
1 4.6

How loud unwanted sound is in a place or recording

screen background
  • Specialized
1 3.2

The part of a computer screen behind icons and windows

background processing
  • Specialized
4.1

Tasks the computer does while you use other programs

background signal
  • Specialized
7.5

An unwanted noise from other sources that gets in the way of a measurement

How Extensive

background
627 3.4

Surface Forms

background singular
backgrounds plural

Morphology

background = back + ground (semi-transparent) = back + ground

The sense 'one's history or training' is a metaphorical extension of the literal 'what lies behind' a person, so inference is possible but not fully literal.

Etymology

Background comes from back + ground, literally the 'ground at the back'. That helps you remember a person's background is what is behind them in life — their past, education, and experience.