juxtaposition

American  

[juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uhn] / ˌdʒʌk stə pəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

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

2. the state of being close together or side by side.

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Other Word Forms

• juxtapositional adjective

Etymology

Origin of juxtaposition

First recorded in 1655–65; from French, from Latin juxtā “near, bordering, side by side” + French position position; joust ( def. )

Example Sentences

So, before a game last week, I asked Kings fans about the juxtaposition: Why can’t the Kings win in a league with a salary cap intended to help them win?

From Los Angeles Times

Eliot was creating a new type of poetry from stylistic juxtapositions, “Louis Armstrong, way down the river in New Orleans, was working out a similar technique for jazz.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“The juxtaposition of an acceleration in business spending alongside a material softening in job growth is unprecedented in the global economy over the past quarter-century,” they wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal

And there are plenty of hybrid creatures, apocalyptic nightmares, strange juxtapositions and drooping abnormalities of the melting-watch variety.

From The Wall Street Journal

The juxtaposition serves as a reminder of the timeless plights of teenagerhood.

From The Wall Street Journal