figure
56
7.2
- noun
- /ˈfɪɡjər/
- Specialized
:
figura
- As he rounds the corner, he sees a figure, its head vibrating in endless terror.
- figure and ground
- foreground figure
He writes that nothing is inherently figure like or background like.
- He writes that nothing is inherently figure like or background like.
- Most people in awake, but in sleep paralysis, most people sense the presence of a figure.
Examples
-
Oh, and Robert, notice what happens when these two figures change position.
-
But there is no square in this figure; the square is in our mind.
Academic text (1999) -
Wow, this figure is so incredible.
-
In this figure you see the LS and D results from back then.
-
We're getting to learn about death as the central figure in a household, in a family.
-
And here what we have is this is sort of a figure ground confusion.
-
A close examination of the two figures, however, reveals deeper levels of meaning.
Academic text (2008) -
Gathered about their feet, smaller figures of men and women stood around them with heads lowered.
Fiction book (1990) -
I wove my way through the crowd of figures until I reached the worktable.
Fiction book (1990) -
In the painting, the artist cleverly emphasized the figure of the dancer, making it stand out against the colorful background.
Antonyms
27
2.1
The part of a scene or situation that is less noticeable and behind the main focus
Idioms
Compounds
51
3.5
A person who is well known to many people, for example a celebrity or politician
40
3.9
A man who gives care and guidance like a father to someone who is not his child
8
2.6
A very simple drawing of a person using a circle for the head and lines for body, arms and legs
- Specialized
1
4.9
A digit that shows how exact a number is and begins with the first digit that is not zero
- Specialized
1
7.7
A number that shows how well a device or material works compared to others
- Specialized
A knot tied near the rope end that stops it slipping through a hole and looks like the number eight
- Archaic
A model of the human body with movable joints that artists use to set and study poses
- Specialized
A carved statue, often a head or animal, placed on a square pillar to mark a boundary
- Specialized
A flat shape like a square or circle with length and width but no depth
How Salient
- Specialized
56
7.2
52
6.0
25
3.3
- Specialized
49
6.7
16
6.5
Surface Forms
Etymology
Figure comes from Latin figura 'shape' and kept the idea of a shape that stands out from its background. So in psychology the figure is the object you notice first against the 'ground'.