highlight vs set off

highlight is a noun but set off is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
highlight	Yes	No	Yes	No
set off	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, set off is a hypernym of highlight; that is, set off is a word with a broader meaning than highlight:

Other hypernyms of highlight include bring out.

highlight (noun)	set off (noun)
an area of lightness in a picture
the most interesting or memorable part

highlight (verb)	set off (verb)
apply a highlighter to one's cheeks or eyebrows in order to make them more prominent	cause to burst with a violent release of energy
move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent	set in motion or cause to begin
	direct attention to, as if by means of contrast
	provoke or stir up
	put in motion or move to act
	depart for someplace
	make up for