noun
silhouette
sih-luu-WEHT
noun
1
A dark solid outline or shape seen against a lighter background, showing only the outer form.
"We could see her silhouette in the doorway as the sun set behind her."
"The artist cut a silhouette of the child's profile from black paper."
verb
1
To appear or be shown as a dark outline against light.
"The mountains were silhouetted against the orange evening sky."
How to Use Silhouette
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA dark outline shape, like a shadow cutout, seen against a bright background.
Common pairings
a silhouette against the sky
cut a silhouette
silhouetted figure
Word Forms
silhouetted past tense, silhouettes plural, silhouettes singular
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Etymology
Named after Étienne de Silhouette, an 18th-century French finance minister known for his stinginess — cut-out black-outline portraits were a cheap alternative to painted ones, and the joke stuck.