Question

What is the meaning of "against the backdrop of"? - H. Razavi, Iran

Answer

The literal meaning of the nounbackdropis "scenery in the background, often on a stage." Its more figurative meaning is "the setting or conditions within which something happens."

The expression "against the backdrop of (something) is a figurative and imaginative way to describe whats going on in the background or surrounding context when something else happens. For example, the sentence, The love story in this novel unfolds against a backdrop of war, tells us that the primary plot in the novel is a love story that takes place during a war, and the war plays a secondary role in the plot.

More help with common English expressions: