Trivia Time

The unexpected juxtaposition of ordinary objects is a hallmark of which art movement?

Test Your Knowledge

juxtaposition

American  

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

noun

• juxtapositions
  plural

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.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• juxtapositional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• juxtapositions
  plural

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

juxtaposition juxtapositions

And the juxtaposition of objects within a room creates lively dialogues among the artifacts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Here’s where the band generates a fascinating juxtaposition: part of “Escrito en Agua” is recorded in a lo-fi style, with rough-around-the-edges moments — like the kind of teen barrio band that you feel protective of.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

London's deer population is much-loved and photographed, due to their apparent juxtaposition with city-life.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The race also featured a stark generational juxtaposition, with DeGette, 68, having held public office since well before Kiros, 29, was even born.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026

Fittingly, it falls to me, as someone who so awkwardly carried the label, to question it now, its juxtaposition of terms—minority, student.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Thomas’s style of speaking, in fact, resembles poetry, with rapid juxtapositions of images and a tendency to condense memories from different time periods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 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

In a preface, the film director Guillermo del Toro likens this collection to early modern cabinets of curiosities, whose juxtapositions of natural and artificial objects were meant to expose a hidden order of existence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

In “No Other Choice,” his transitions and visual juxtapositions convey profound themes beneath the satirical surface.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---