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juxtaposition

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

/ ˌdʒʌk stə pəˈzɪʃ ən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR juxtaposition ON THESAURUS.COM

WATCH NOW: What Does "Juxtaposition" Actually Mean?

WATCH NOW: 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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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.

Words nearby juxtaposition

juxtaepiphysial, juxtaglomerular, juxtaglomerular cell, juxtaglomerular granule, juxtapose, juxtaposition, juárez, jv, jwlr., jwv, jy

Origin of juxtaposition

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

OTHER WORDS FROM juxtaposition

jux·ta·po·si·tion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for 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|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

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|DAILY BEAST
Your uncle was such a master of expression that almost anything placed in juxtaposition must suffer from the contrast.
McClure's Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 1893|Various
Each of these cars had a door cut in one end, and these door-way ends were placed in juxtaposition and remained so always.
The Crest of the Continent|Ernest Ingersoll
How the noblest and the commonest stand there in juxtaposition!
Beyond Good and Evil|Friedrich Nietzsche
There might be a juxtaposition of persons, but there could be no society; there might be a Personal, but not a Political, Economy.
Harmonies of Political Economy|Frdric Bastiat
It is eloquent in its brevity and juxtaposition of the creative word and the created world.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 1|A. Maclaren

Medical definitions for juxtaposition

juxtaposition

[ jŭk′stə-pə-zĭsh′ən ]

n.

The state of being placed or situated side by side.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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