The foreground is the part of a picture, scene, or view that is closest to the viewer. As a verb, to foreground something means to give it special importance or attention.
“Foreground” combines “fore” (front) and “ground,” modeled on terms in art like “background.” It first described visual space and later gained a figurative meaning in writing and discussion.
When a teacher says an essay should “foreground” an issue, they’re borrowing a painter’s trick: put the most important object closest to the viewer. Language keeps stealing camera and art words to talk about ideas.
In discussions of art, science, and history, what gets ‘foregrounded’ has often been men’s achievements, with women’s contributions relegated to the background or omitted. This metaphor tracks whose work is made visible and whose is obscured.
Use ‘foreground’ consciously to bring women’s and marginalized groups’ roles into focus, especially in historical or technical narratives where they were previously minimized.
["highlight","emphasize","bring to the front"]
When you foreground a topic like computing or medicine, explicitly include women and other underrepresented groups whose work shaped the field.
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