juxtaposition

[juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uh n]

See more synonyms for juxtaposition 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.

Origin of juxtaposition

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

Related formsjux·ta·po·si·tion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for juxtaposition

proximity, touching, nearness, abutment, contact

Examples from the Web for juxtaposition

Contemporary Examples of juxtaposition

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
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
“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
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
Is it the juxtaposition of Geordie straightforwardness with lofty intellectualism?
Meet ‘Inspector Lewis’: Kevin Whately on ‘Morse,’ John Thaw, and the End of the Series
Jace Lacob
June 14, 2013

Historical Examples of juxtaposition

It regulated the juxtaposition of sounds and the cadence of sentences.
Cratylus
Plato
Science and religion are not to be brought into union by a simple process of juxtaposition.
The Legacy of Greece
Various
She has also these iron mines in juxtaposition with coal and all the fluxes.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 3, No. 1 January 1863
Various
Logical rules of perspective are negated by rules of juxtaposition.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
He just leaves us with the juxtaposition of two incompatibles.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy
Isaac Husik

Word Origin and History for juxtaposition

1660s, from French juxtaposition (1660s), from Latin iuxta "beside, near" + French position (see position (n.)). Latin iuxta is a contraction of *iugista (adv.), superlative of adjective *iugos "closely connected," from stem of iugum "yoke," from iungere "to join" (see jugular).

juxtaposition in Medicine

juxtaposition

[jŭk′stə-pə-zĭsh′ən]

The state of being placed or situated side by side.