noun · verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌsɪlʊˈɛt/
General-American:/ˌsɪluˈɛt/
General-American:/-lə-/
General-American:/-ˈwɛt/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛt
CMU ARPABET:S IH2 L AH0 W EH1 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An artistic depiction, often of a person's profile, in the form of an outline without any other visual details, similar to a shadow, made by cutting a piece of black paper, filling in an outline with a solid colour (usually black), etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: art, arts
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A dark outline of someone or something seen against a brighter background.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Examples
I could see a silhouette of a figure looking out from the window, but I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An outline of a garment as it appears on a wearer.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Topics: fashion, lifestyle
Examples
A-line is a classic silhouette for dresses and skirts.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A brief written description of someone or something; an outline, a sketch.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
Often followed by against or upon: to depict (oneself or someone, or something) as a silhouette (noun sense 1 or noun sense 2.1); to project (oneself or someone, or something) upon a background, so as to be like a silhouette.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: reflexive, transitive
Qualifier: often passive voice
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To appear as a silhouette.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
a drawing of the outline of an object; filled in with some uniform color
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: drawing
8
noun
Meaning 8
an outline of a solid object (as cast by its shadow)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: outline, lineation
9
verb
Meaning 9
represent by a silhouette
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: represent, interpret
10
verb
Meaning 10
project on a background, such as a screen, like a silhouette
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: project
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Basque *zuLo Basque zulo Basque Ziloetabor. ▲ Basque zulo Basque Zilhoetabor. French silhouetteubor. English silhouette The noun is a unadapted borrowing from French silhouette, from the surname of Étienne de Silhouette (1709–1767), France’s Controller-General of Finances. It has been suggested that the word refers to one or more of the following: * De Silhouette’s penny-pinching policies which led to the French term à la Silhouette, applied to things perceived as austere or cheap, akin to an outline filled only with black. * The fact that de Silhouette only held the office of Controller-General of Finances for about eight months from 4 March to 21 November 1759. * De Silhouette’s outline portraits which he made to decorate his château at Bry-sur-Marne, Val-de-Marne. De Silhouette’s surname is a gallicized form of Basque Ziloeta or Zilhoeta (modern Basque Zulueta), from the local plural stem (see -ak) of zulo (“hole, pit; den, hiding place”), from Proto-Basque *zuLo (“hole”). The verb is derived from the noun.
Across languages
Translations
83 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
silhoeët
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Albanian:
siluetë
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Southern Altai:
элес
(eles)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Arabic:
خَيَال
(ḵayāl)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Arabic:
سَوَاد
(sawād)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Armenian:
սիլուետ
(siluet)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Armenian:
ուրվագիծ
(urvagic)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Azerbaijani:
siluet
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Azerbaijani:
qaraltı
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Basque:
silueta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Belarusian:
сілуэ́т
(siluét)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Belarusian:
сыльвэта
(sylveta)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Bulgarian:
силуе́т
(siluét)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Catalan:
silueta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Chinese Mandarin:
剪影
(jiǎnyǐng)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Czech:
silueta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Danish:
silhuet
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Dutch:
silhouet
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Esperanto:
silueto
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Estonian:
siluett
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Finnish:
siluetti
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Finnish:
varjokuva
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
French:
silhouette
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Galician:
silueta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Georgian:
სილუეტი
(silueṭi)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
German:
Silhouette
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
German:
Schattenriss
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Greek:
σιλουέτα
(silouéta)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Hebrew:
צְלָלִית
(tslalít)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Hindi:
छाया
(chāyā)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Hindi:
रूपरेखा
(rūprekhā)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Hungarian:
sziluett
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Icelandic:
skuggamynd
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Ido:
silueto
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Indonesian:
siluet
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Irish:
scáthchruth
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Italian:
silhouette
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Italian:
controluce
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Italian:
sagoma
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Japanese:
シルエット
(shiruetto)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Kazakh:
силуэт
(siluét)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Kazakh:
сұлба
(sūlba)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Korean:
실루엣
(silluet)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Kyrgyz:
силуэт
(siluet)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Kyrgyz:
элес
(eles)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Latin:
adumbrātiō
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Latvian:
siluets
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Lithuanian:
siluetas
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Macedonian:
силуе́та
(siluéta)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Malay:
siluet
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Norwegian Bokmål:
silhuett
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Norwegian Nynorsk:
silhuett
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Occitan:
siloeta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Persian:
سیلوئت
(silu'et)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Polish:
sylwetka
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Polish:
kontur
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Polish:
zarys
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Portuguese:
silhueta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Portuguese:
contorno
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Romanian:
siluetă
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Russian:
силуэ́т
(siluét)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Serbo-Croatian:
силуѐта
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Serbo-Croatian:
siluèta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Slovak:
silueta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Slovene:
silhueta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Spanish:
silueta
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Swedish:
silhuett
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Swedish:
siluett
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Turkish:
silüet
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Ukrainian:
силуе́т
(syluét)
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Uzbek:
siluet
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Vietnamese:
bóng
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Vietnamese:
hình bóng
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Welsh:
silwét
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Welsh:
amlinell
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Welsh:
cysgodlun
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Yoruba:
biribiri
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Yoruba:
ojiji biribiri
— artistic depiction in the form of an outline without any other visual details
Finnish:
siluetti
— dark outline of someone or something seen against a brighter background
Finnish:
ääriviiva
— dark outline of someone or something seen against a brighter background
Finnish:
siluetti
— outline of a garment as it appears on a wearer
Finnish:
esittää siluettina
— (transitive) to depict (oneself or someone, or something) as a silhouette; (intransitive) to appear as a silhouette
Finnish:
näkyä siluettina
— (transitive) to depict (oneself or someone, or something) as a silhouette; (intransitive) to appear as a silhouette
