|Origin:||, from Étienne de Silhouette (1709-67), French politician famous for not liking to spend money, and therefore appropriately giving his name to a cheap simple picture|
1 [uncountable and countable]
a dark image, shadow, or shape that you see against a light background
a dark silhouette of domes and minarets
Soon the bombers would return, black silhouettes against a pale sky.
The old windmill stood out in silhouette.
2 [uncountable and countable]
a drawing of something or someone, often from the side, showing a black shape against a light background:
silhouette pictures of snowmen and reindeer
a picture of Mozart in silhouette
the particular shape certain clothes give you:
Fitted clothes often give the neatest silhouettes.
tall chimney stacks silhouetted against the orange flames