Standard Lemma guide

juxtaposition

noun · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌd͡ʒʌk.stə.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˌd͡ʒɐk.stə.pəˈzɪʃ.ən/
  • New-Zealand: /ˌd͡ʒɐk.stə.pəˈzəʃ.ən/
  • CMU ARPABET: JH AH2 K S T AH0 P AH0 Z IH1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The nearness of objects with little or no delimiter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The nearness of objects with little or no delimiter.

An absence of linking elements in a group of words that are listed together.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • Example: mother father instead of mother and father

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The nearness of objects with little or no delimiter.

An absence of operators in an expression.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: mathematics, sciences

Examples

  • Using juxtaposition for multiplication saves space when writing longer expressions. a#92;timesb collapses to ab.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The extra emphasis given to a comparison when the contrasted objects are close together.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • There was a poignant juxtaposition between the boys laughing in the street and the girl crying on the balcony above.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The extra emphasis given to a comparison when the contrasted objects are close together.

Two or more contrasting sounds, colours, styles etc. placed together for stylistic effect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: art, arts

Examples

  • The juxtaposition of the bright yellows on the dark background made the painting appear three dimensional.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The extra emphasis given to a comparison when the contrasted objects are close together.

The close placement of two ideas to imply a link that may not exist.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, rhetoric, uncountable

Examples

  • Example: In 1965 the government was elected; in 1965 the economy took a dive.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To place in juxtaposition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

the act of positioning close together (or side by side)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it is the result of the juxtaposition of contrasting colors

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: apposition, collocation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: placement, location, locating, position, positioning, emplacement

Narrower terms: tessellation

9

noun

Meaning 9

a side-by-side position

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: position, place

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French juxtaposition, from Latin iuxtā (“near”) (from Latin iungō (“to join”)) + French position (“position”) (from Latin pōnō (“to place”)).

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: съпоста́вяне (sǎpostávjane) — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • Catalan: juxtaposició — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • Esperanto: kunmeto — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • Finnish: vierekkäin asettelu — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • French: juxtaposition — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • Georgian: სიახლოვე (siaxlove) — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • Hungarian: egymásmellettiség — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • Hungarian: egymás mellé állítás/helyezés — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • Russian: бли́зость (blízostʹ) — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • Tagalog: pagkakaiba — the nearness of objects with little or no delimiter
  • Catalan: juxtaposició — grammar: absence of linking elements in a group of words that are listed together
  • Esperanto: nominacio — grammar: absence of linking elements in a group of words that are listed together
  • Georgian: შედარება (šedareba) — grammar: absence of linking elements in a group of words that are listed together
  • Portuguese: justaposição — grammar: absence of linking elements in a group of words that are listed together
  • Georgian: შედარება (šedareba) — mathematics: absence of operators
  • German: Juxtaposition — mathematics: absence of operators
  • Irish: neas-suíomh — mathematics: absence of operators
  • Georgian: შედარება (šedareba) — extra emphasis given to a comparison
  • German: Gegenüberstellung — extra emphasis given to a comparison
  • Hungarian: szembeállítás — extra emphasis given to a comparison
  • Hungarian: szembenállás — extra emphasis given to a comparison
  • Swedish: sida vid sida — extra emphasis given to a comparison
  • Bulgarian: контра́ст (kontrást) — arts: contrasting sounds or colours
  • Dutch: juxtapositie — arts: contrasting sounds or colours
  • Georgian: შედარება (šedareba) — arts: contrasting sounds or colours
  • Hungarian: párosítás — arts: contrasting sounds or colours
Real reading context

juxtaposition in complete knowledge articles