Meaning & use
juxtaposition
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of putting two or more things next to each other so that their differences or links stand out.
Grammar: Countable for a particular pairing, uncountable for the technique: the juxtaposition of rich and poor.
Patterns
- the juxtaposition of A and B
- juxtaposition with something
The film's juxtaposition of a wedding and a funeral felt striking.
The museum arranged the paintings in a juxtaposition that highlighted their contrasts.
Her essay explores the juxtaposition of old and new in the city.
noununcountableformal
The state of two things being close together in position or time, whether or not it was deliberate.
Grammar: Sometimes used loosely for plain closeness: in juxtaposition.
Patterns
- in juxtaposition
- juxtaposition with something
Steel towers stand in juxtaposition with a medieval chapel.
The odd juxtaposition of the two signs made people laugh.
The photograph's juxtaposition of a sleeping dog and a parade is accidental.
Word forms
| plural | juxtapositions |
|---|
Common combinations
- striking juxtaposition
- There was a striking juxtaposition of glass towers and old market stalls.
- juxtaposition of
- The juxtaposition of light and shadow gives the painting its drama.
- in juxtaposition with
- The modern wing stands in juxtaposition with the old castle.
- unusual juxtaposition
- An unusual juxtaposition of sounds opened the album.
- ironic juxtaposition
- The ironic juxtaposition of the billboard and the empty street was obvious.
Synonyms and how they differ
- contrast
- Contrast names the difference itself, while juxtaposition names the act of setting things side by side to reveal it.
- comparison
- Comparison weighs similarities and differences, whereas juxtaposition just places things together and lets the reader notice them.
- proximity
- Proximity only means nearness, with no sense of deliberate effect.
- pairing
- Pairing is plainer and may suggest things that go well together, not necessarily a contrast.
Opposites
Word family
- juxtapose verb
- to put side by side for effect
- juxtaposed adjective
- placed close together
- juxtapositional adjective
- relating to juxtaposition, rare
Commonly confused: juxtaposition or comparison?
juxtaposition vs comparison
A comparison states how things are alike or different; juxtaposition simply places them together so the viewer sees it.
Practice
The poem's ___ of tenderness and cruelty makes the reader uneasy.
Choose one answer.
Juxtaposition of An and B means setting two things side by side for effect. The other options do not fit the pattern or the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “juxtaposition”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.