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juxtaposition

[ juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uhn ]

/ ˌdʒʌk stə pəˈzɪʃ ən /

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See synonyms for: juxtaposition / juxtapositional on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

the state of being close together or side by side.

VIDEO FOR JUXTAPOSITION

What Does "Juxtaposition" Actually Mean?

When you place things side-by-side, you automatically start comparing because the differences are highlighted. And, there's a word for that: "juxtaposition."

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Origin of juxtaposition

1655–65; <French <Latin juxtā side by side + French positionposition

OTHER WORDS FROM juxtaposition

jux·ta·po·si·tion·al, adjective

Words nearby juxtaposition

juvenilize, Juventa Fons, juvie, juxtapose, juxtaposed, juxtaposition, JV, jwlr., J.W.V., Jy, Jylland

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use juxtaposition in a sentence

The juxtaposition of the cube’s probable origins to its more recent fate is not lost on Schwantes.
Insights into the Nazis’ failed nuclear program may lie within this 2-inch-tall uranium cube|Caroline Anders|August 25, 2021|Washington Post
In particular, Lorde excelled in exploiting the juxtaposition between the major root and the minor sixth chord on songs like “Supercut” and “Perfect Places,” creating a sour-sweet effect aligning with her lyrical mood shifts and expansive vision.
Why Lorde’s Solar Power Is a Pop Oddity|Andrew R. Chow|August 23, 2021|Time
To make that point, they presented a series of juxtapositions that seemed almost too perfect in their brazen hypocrisy.
‘Daily Show’ Exposes Fox News Hypocrisy on Immigrants and COVID|Matt Wilstein|July 30, 2021|The Daily Beast
So much of the show and the book are about juxtaposition—two different subjects who you would never imagine being put in the same room, but they really work together.
Spent the Last Year in Sweatpants? The Creator Behind a New Netflix Show Has Some Ideas About Where Our Clothes Go From Here|Annabel Gutterman|April 1, 2021|Time

When judging the contest, I gravitated toward entries that were not just ingenious juxtapositions of words -- someone sent in an uncannily accurate total paraphrase of Macbeth’s “sound and fury” soliloquy -- but were also funny.
Style Conversational Week 1425: Sketchy situations with Bob Staake|Pat Myers|February 25, 2021|Washington Post
The juxtaposition planted a story of association on websites that touted both men for their talks.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This was an early influence too in terms of the weird juxtaposition of laugh-out-loud comedy mixed with really horrific sequences.
‘Machete Kills’ Director Robert Rodriguez on His Favorite Cult Movies|Robert Rodriguez|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Regardless, The Blood Telegram offers a nuanced yet unflinching look at the juxtaposition of geopolitics and humanitarian crisis.
Bloody Bloody Richard Nixon’s Role in a Forgotten Genocide|Nick Turse|September 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“I love the juxtaposition between sexy, corset-details and these incredibly beautiful fabrics,” she said.
Jason Wu’s Softer Side|Isabel Wilkinson|September 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Her yen for juxtaposition of pretty and ugly, water and tar, public and private, can be seen in the smallest moments.
This Week’s Hot Reads: August 19, 2013|Jen Vafidis|August 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To any one thoroughly familiar with the Arthurian romances, the juxtaposition of these three names is extremely significant.
The Three Days' Tournament|Jessie L. Weston
In the juxtaposition of Samuel Meredith's features this quality was so strong that it influenced his entire life.
Flappers and Philosophers|F. Scott Fitzgerald
These aphorisms formed, says Littr, "a succession of propositions in juxtaposition, but not united."
An Epitome of the History of Medicine|Roswell Park
A writer exhibits clear and undeniable differences between two American tribes in geographical juxtaposition to one another.
The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies|Robert Gordon Latham
He did not put the alternatives so much in juxtaposition as I have; but they lay certainly in that manner on his thoughts.
Barrington|Charles James Lever