juxtaposition

noun

jux·​ta·​po·​si·​tion ˌjək-stə-pə-ˈzi-shən 

: the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side often to compare or contrast or to create an interesting effect

an unusual juxtaposition of colors

The juxtaposition of Holly's career with the content of her podcast might leave audience members scratching their heads.

—Nick Kasmik

also : the state of being so placed

contrasting shapes placed in juxtaposition to each other

A five-minute ferry ride from Brooklyn and Manhattan, [Governor's Island] feels distant yet impossibly close, and the juxtaposition of vertical city and languorous landscape is almost surreal.

—Justin Davidson

juxtapositional

ˌjək-stə-pə-ˈzi-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of juxtaposition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Comey’s nods to Drexler are mostly subtle, drawing from the artist’s color palette of vibrant hues from bright green and orange to cobalt blue and lilac, with an eye toward their high-contrast juxtapositions, a hallmark of Drexler’s paintings. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Georgia O’Keefe in her austere blacks and whites, struck a seemingly deliberate, stark juxtaposition with the cloudy, pastel-toned washes of her southwestern paintings. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2026

Responding to arguments over the juxtaposition of the images, the three-judge panel of the state appeals court rebuffed Schneider’s characterization of the sequence. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

That juxtaposition starts with the Santos family and their team, who create the attractions, costumes, lighting, and special effects. — Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin juxta near + English position — more at joust

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for juxtaposition

• academician
• cycloaddition
• decomposition
• diagnostician
• disinhibition
• indisposition
• interposition
• mathematician
• metacognition
• metaphysician
• neurotransmission
• nonrecognition

Medical Definition

juxtaposition

noun

jux·​ta·​po·​si·​tion ˌjək-stə-pə-ˈzish-ən 

: the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side

also : the state of being so placed

juxtapose

ˈjək-stə-ˌpōz 

transitive verb

juxtaposed; juxtaposing