Showing Results for "juxtaposed"

See Also:

• past tense form of juxtapose.
• past participle of juxtapose.

juxtaposed

American  

[juhk-stuh-pohzd, juhk-stuh-pohzd] / ˈdʒʌk stəˌpoʊzd, ˌdʒʌk stəˈpoʊzd /

adjective

1. placed or appearing close together or side by side, especially with an arresting or surprising effect, or in a way that invites comparison or contrast.

   The director handles the juxtaposed strands of the movie deftly, interweaving psychological intrigue with smartly observed comedy.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of juxtapose.

Etymology

Origin of juxtaposed

juxtapose ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Put two objects next to each other and they're juxtaposed: placed side-by-side to emphasize their contrast. An art exhibit might have the paintings of one period juxtaposed with those from another to emphasize how different the two periods were. The word juxtaposed comes from the Latin juxta, meaning "next" and the French poser, meaning "to place." When two objects are juxtaposed, they are placed next to each other, or side-by-side for comparison. It doesn't just have to be objects. After a guest manager's style was juxtaposed with your normal manager, you decided to look for a new job.

Related Words

• adjacent
• contiguous
• neighboring