juxtaposition
Americannoun
-
juxtapositions
plural
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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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of juxtaposition
First recorded in 1655–65; from French, from Latin juxtā “near, bordering, side by side” + French position position; cf. joust ( def. )
Explanation
If a waiter served you a whole fish and a scoop of chocolate ice cream on the same plate, your surprise might be caused by the juxtaposition, or the side-by-side contrast, of the two foods. Any time unlike things bump up against each other, you can describe it as a juxtaposition. Imagine a funeral mourner telling jokes graveside, and you get the idea — the juxtaposition in this case is between grief and humor. Juxtaposition of two contrasting items is often done deliberately in writing, music, or art — in order to highlight their differences.
Vocabulary lists containing juxtaposition
Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
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The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 1
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Reading: Literature - Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
London's deer population is much-loved and photographed, due to their apparent juxtaposition with city-life.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
I don’t know how to make those facts, that awful juxtaposition, clean, and I have stopped trying.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
"This juxtaposition could make it more difficult for Meta to build credibility in an area where it's already a laggard," Smiley added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
“I think the juxtaposition is the point,” Orchison said.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
In The Magnolia Jungle the juxtaposition of the best of these columns against a background of stark horror gives a striking effect.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
Loïc Gouzer, a former Christie’s rainmaker who created the app six years ago, said ensconcing Banksy inside a luxury jeweler nodded to the artist’s preference for high-low juxtapositions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
He followed it with a succession of intensely theatrical divertissements, often revolving around unexpected intellectual conceits or bizarre juxtapositions and featuring brilliant dialogue, puns, repartee, double meanings and misunderstandings.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025
The juxtapositions of paired images often communicate subtle meanings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Occasionally we get a spare, clarifying voiceover about timelines and facts, but mostly Veiel lets his juxtapositions make the case, expertly stitched together by the editing team of Stefan Krumbiegel, Olaf Voigtlander and Alfredo Castro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025
The loveliest scenes, he found, were comprised of the simplest, most natural juxtapositions of native plants.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
