chiaroscuro

noun

chiar·​oscu·​ro kē-ˌär-ə-ˈskyu̇r-(ˌ)ō 

-ˈsku̇r-

plural chiaroscuros

1

: pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color

2

a

: the arrangement or treatment of light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art

The artist uses chiaroscuro to create the perception of depth in a two-dimensional work.

b

: the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities (as of mood or character)

3

: a 16th century woodcut technique involving the use of several blocks to print different tones of the same color

also : a print made by this technique

4

: the interplay of light and shadow on or as if on a surface

a spotlight revealing a chiaroscuro of ridges and craters on a mountainside

5

: the quality of being veiled or partly in shadow

Examples of chiaroscuro in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These paintings, with their bold color and crisp columnar forms, previously served as a sorbet course amid the Baroque chiaroscuro. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025

The contrasting rim furthers her storyline of chiaroscuro—the juxtaposition of light and shadow. —Erika Owen, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2025

From our review: Cloaking the screen in moody chiaroscuro, Gomes finds mystique in Edward’s stoicism and poetry in Molly’s heartbreak. —The New York Times, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Things only get less interesting as that love triangles widens into an awkward kind of square, the chiaroscuro splendor of Soderbergh’s cinematography laboring to compensate for a murder-mystery that’s as scattered and impenetrable as Berlin itself. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from chiaro clear, light + oscuro obscure, dark

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chiaroscuro

• politburo
• bureau
• bureaux