Outline
Outline verb - To draw or make apparent the outline of.
Usage example: she carefully outlined the tree before she started drawing in the leaves
Trace is a synonym for outline in sketch topic. In some cases you can use "Trace" instead the word "Outline" as a verb or a noun, when it comes to topics like draw, plan, summarize.
How words are described
| faint | faint outline | faint trace |
| complete | complete outline | complete trace |
| original | original outline | original trace |
| rough | rough outline | rough trace |
| Other adjectives: entire, real, slight, noticeable, thin, unique, workable, faintest. | ||
Common collocations
| origins | outline origins | trace origins |
Both words in one sentence
- The objective was to find a hidden object within the drawing and successfully trace its outline.
Source: Series / Camouflage (1961) -
Visible Invisibility: The Cloaking Device leaves a faint trace of the user's outline.
Source: Video Game / Perfect Dark - A correct answer removed part of the picture (the camouflage) and the player had 10 seconds to find the object and trace its outline with a long stick.
Source: Series / Camouflage (1961)
Cite this Source
Trace and Outline. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/outline/trace
Outline & Trace. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/outline/trace>.
Trace or Outline. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/outline/trace.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "outline" and "trace" have occurred on timeline