con·text 
/ˈkɑ:nˌtɛkst/ noun
plural con·texts /ˈkɑ:nˌtɛkst/ noun [count] 1 : the words that are used with a certain word or phrase and that help to explain its meaning
▪ To really know a word, you must be able to use it in context. [=in a sentence with other words] ◊If the words that someone has said are taken or quoted out of context, they are repeated without explaining the situation in which they were said so that their meaning is changed.
▪ When taken out of context, his comments sound cruel, but he was really only joking. ▪ The actor claimed he'd been quoted out of context. 2 : the situation in which something happens : the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens
▪ We need to look at the event within the larger/broader context of world history. ▪ The book puts these events in their proper historical and social contexts. ▪ We need to consider these events in context.
▪ To really know a word, you must be able to use it in context. [=in a sentence with other words] ◊If the words that someone has said are taken or quoted out of context, they are repeated without explaining the situation in which they were said so that their meaning is changed.
▪ When taken out of context, his comments sound cruel, but he was really only joking. ▪ The actor claimed he'd been quoted out of context.
▪ We need to look at the event within the larger/broader context of world history. ▪ The book puts these events in their proper historical and social contexts. ▪ We need to consider these events in context.
— con·tex·tu·al /kɑnˈtɛkstʃəwəl/ adjective
▪ contextual information ▪ To find the meaning of an unknown word you should look at the contextual clues provided by the words that are around it.
/kɑnˈtɛkstʃəwəl/ adjective ▪ contextual information ▪ To find the meaning of an unknown word you should look at the contextual clues provided by the words that are around it.
— con·tex·tu·al·ly adverb
