counterpose

[koun-ter-pohz]

verb (used with object)

counterposed, counterposing 

1. to offer or place in opposition, response, or contrast.

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterpose¹

First recorded in 1585–95; counter- + (pro)pose

Example Sentences

The two directors counterpose images of destruction - the charred remains of an apartment block, a herd of cows sinking in a field destroyed by bombing - with everyday scenes of companionship and love.

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Russia’s invasion has forced Cypriot leaders to counterpose political support for the E.U. and Ukraine and the island’s economic dependency on Russian money.

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To Watson and Crick, the double-helix model of DNA—with two complementary “yin-yang” strands counterposed against each other—instantly suggested a mechanism for replication.

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The stereotypes that the phrase "housewife" recalls — manicured lawns, whiteness, nuclear families like in "Leave it to Beaver" — may seem counterposed to liberal values, emblematic of a reactionary ideal of an idyllic American past.

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In contrast to Wife Guys like Tripp, the "Wife Didn't Approve" guy — or Anti-Wife Guy, as I call them — defines his identity as counterposed to his wife.

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Related Words

• balance 
• cancel out 
• counteract 
• equal 
• negate 
• neutralize 
• outweigh