Figure
Figure noun - A unitary percept having structure and coherence that is the object of attention and that stands out against a ground.
Ground
Ground noun - A relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused.
How words are described
| old | old figure | old ground |
| similar | similar figure | similar ground |
| perfect | perfect figure | perfect ground |
| original | original figure | original ground |
| Other adjectives: actual, real, big, little, main, new, political, local. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Guide Dang It: As the game gives you absolutely no direction, it may take you a while to figure out that the items on the ground and the sparkly dots on the ground are one and the same.
Source: Video Game / Looming - Despite their enormous weight, tanks exhibit very little ground pressure: this figure can be as little as 10 pounds per square inch in contact with the ground.
Source: Lightning Bruiser / Real Life - Nome, Alaska and Novaya Zemlya, Siberia, figure as their next ground postings should they do.
Cite this Source
Ground and Figure. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/figure/ground
Figure & Ground. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/figure/ground>.
Ground or Figure. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/figure/ground.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "figure" and "ground" have occurred on timeline