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

The striking juxtaposition of South and North American financial centers is an attention-grabbing look at the ubiquity of American culture and capital.

From The Wall Street Journal

“He would say things that put things in juxtaposition because his mind just wandered in various ways.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"Obviously, if you're saying really funny things, but trying to have a serious conversation, that can be quite a difficult juxtaposition," she says.

From BBC

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