contrastare

to contrast

verb kohn-trah-STAH-reh Less Common

Origin: Latin contra + stare (to stand against)

Also means

to oppose

Usage Note

Contrastare can be used intransitively ('to clash/contrast': i colori contrastano) and transitively ('to counter/oppose': contrastare il crimine). It takes avere as its auxiliary. The related noun contrasto means both 'contrast' (visual or conceptual) and 'conflict'.

Examples

"La polizia cerca di contrastare il crimine."

Natural Translation

The police try to counter crime.

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