as in contrast
something or someone that is different from another especially in a pleasing way
The warm color palette of the furniture is the perfect counterpoint to the cool walls. The acidity of the sauce works in counterpoint to the richness of the dish.
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Recent Examples of counterpoint
Downstairs, the boutique spa is a welcome counterpoint to the city’s sensory overload.
—
Vicki Power, TheWeek, 23 Mar. 2026
Yet legendary director Peter Chan Ho-sun offered a more sobering counterpoint at the Producers Connect panel.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
For many years, Larijani was seen as the bookish front man for the regime, a counterpoint to his more fiery colleagues.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026
The jazz polymath wrote, played, produced, and mixed everything on his new solo album, weaving overlapping loops and knotty counterpoints into a dynamic suite of interconnected pieces.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterpoint
Vicki Power, TheWeek, 23 Mar. 2026
Yet legendary director Peter Chan Ho-sun offered a more sobering counterpoint at the Producers Connect panel.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
For many years, Larijani was seen as the bookish front man for the regime, a counterpoint to his more fiery colleagues.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026
The jazz polymath wrote, played, produced, and mixed everything on his new solo album, weaving overlapping loops and knotty counterpoints into a dynamic suite of interconnected pieces.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterpoint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterpoint
Noun
-
That’s in contrast to an earlier trend from 2019 to 2023, when rates dropped only among white people and rose sharply among Black and Indigenous Americans.—
Kaitlin Coward,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In contrast, with a GLP-1, people might be more inclined to take them because of their burnished reputation.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The country’s once-reluctant medical establishment is increasingly welcoming the way doulas complement doctors and nurses, and with insurance coverage growing fast, parents from across the economic spectrum can now take advantage.—
Laura Ungar,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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His quickness might need some refining going to the NFL level, but his gap-scheme ability and receiving ability would make for a perfect complement in a running back room.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterpoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterpoint. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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