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

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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.

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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

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

Meagan adds that she enjoys the juxtaposition of the "bravado" of ice hockey mixed with the characters' "vulnerability underneath".

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

This juxtaposition of his heart and mind gave him not only headaches but weird dreams.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

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 ● Jan. 2, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025

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

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