juxtapose
Americanverb (used with object)
-
juxtaposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
juxtaposed,
past participle, past
-
juxtaposing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
juxtaposesimple
-
juxtaposessimple
-
have juxtaposedperfect
-
has juxtaposedperfect
-
am juxtaposingprogressive
-
are juxtaposingprogressive
-
is juxtaposingprogressive
-
have been juxtaposingperfect progressive
-
has been juxtaposingperfect progressive
Past
-
juxtaposedsimple
-
had juxtaposedperfect
-
was juxtaposingprogressive
-
were juxtaposingprogressive
-
had been juxtaposingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of juxtapose
First recorded in 1850–55; back formation from juxtaposition
Explanation
See the word "pose" in juxtapose? When you juxtapose, you are "posing" or positioning things side by side. The verb juxtapose requires contrasting things placed next to one other: "The collage juxtaposed pictures of Jane while she was growing up and as an adult." Juxtapose is used often when referring to contrasting elements in the arts. "The music juxtaposed the instrumentation of jazz with the harmonies of soul."
Vocabulary lists containing juxtapose
100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week In Culture: March 29–April 4, 2020
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Stand in "Solidarity": 30 Words to Remind us English is at Least 30 Percent French
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Like, the rebel I am, I love to juxtapose," she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The effect of the metanarrative is to juxtapose Byron’s violent passions with the careful, repressed behavior of one who hoped to capture him in literature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
That inspired Juson to juxtapose the humanity of Black people against the words that sought to dehumanize them.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024
What are the stories in their lives that you can juxtapose?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2024
If we could only juxtapose one eyeball of this sanctified woman and a television tube, both being roughly of the same shape and design, what a phantasmagoria of exploding electrodes would occur.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
This year's exhibit juxtaposes elegant fashion looks with paintings and sculpture: think a Saint Laurent design next to Van Gogh's "Irises", or a John Galliano gown for Maison Margiela paired with an antique statue.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
The campaign juxtaposes such wild, clearly AI-created images with real photography of fit people under the theme “Question Everything But Yourself.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
In his sophomore feature, Fabbro, who previously directed the 2021 romantic thriller “The Grand Bolero,” juxtaposes the quiet grace of Igor’s modest life with the cacophony and commercialism of contemporary truffle auctions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
A furious 1987 Donald Moffett poster, dedicated to Gay Men’s Health Crisis Director Diego Lopez, juxtaposes the AIDS-indifferent Hollywood president, smirking vapidly above the phrase, “He kills me,” next to a screaming orange bull’s-eye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2025
Goldstein repeatedly juxtaposes nouns and pronouns in the first and third person: that child... me; she.../... herself; I... someone else.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Video of these rattling sets, juxtaposed against Pop-A-Shot games, swiftly made the rounds on social media.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
The spokesperson said it’s understandable for reporters to ask questions about the conflicts, “but out of fairness, it should be juxtaposed by the fact that there’s been no indication of favorable treatment.”
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
Gomez takes up this theme in his photorealistic paintings, which often feature dramatic skies juxtaposed with decaying urban signs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
The wily old fox, his patter and his influence has juxtaposed a disconnect between the board and the stands.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
The honor came at an awkward time for it was juxtaposed against an announcement that seemed to call the award itself into question.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Suozzi and Moolenaar kicked off the 2020 NPB with a running shtick — juxtaposing their backgrounds.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
Rosi’s artistry grasps the limitations of being a long-term guest, visually juxtaposing the ancient and elemental, busts and people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
This show examines how her output responded to and influenced her teachers and contemporaries by juxtaposing her art with works by Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell, Isamu Noguchi, Peter Voulkos and others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
The morning show also played a viral clip of typically silent Barron speaking, juxtaposing it with a clip of him as an eight-year-old.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2024
By juxtaposing the pieces of paper against each other and overlapping one color with another, one can almost produce every shade of color.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
