WORD OF TTHE DAY: JUXTAPOSE
verb|JUK-stuh-pohz
What It Means
To juxtapose things is to place them together in order to create an interesting effect or to show how they are the same or different.
// The local museum’s new exhibit juxtaposes modern art with classical art.
Examples of JUXTAPOSE
“… on ‘Murder Most Foul’ [Bob] Dylan thwarts readymade nostalgia, an easy revisiting of the storybook sixties and his golden ‘spokesman’ moment. Instead, mixing and juxtaposing voices, lingos, and tones, he traces the decline of America over the trajectory of his own lifetime …” — Robert Polito, After the Flood: Inside Bob Dylan’s Memory Palace, 2026
Did You Know?
Although it doesn’t feature the word juxtapose, a classic segment from a 1969 episode of Sesame Street perfectly illustrates the essence of the verb. In it, the character Bob (as played by actor Bob McGrath) sings the catchy song “One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)” in front of a display that juxtaposes—that is, places near one another for comparison—four items: an apple, an ice cream cone, a hamburger, and a mitten. The song asks its audience to consider their similarities and differences before deciding which is the most different (spoiler alert: it’s the mitten). The word juxtapose is likely a back-formation of the noun juxtaposition, which appropriately enough combines the Latin adjective juxta meaning “near” with the English word position. The use of juxtapose isn’t limited to tangible objects, however—images, ideas, concepts, and more are frequently juxtaposed.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
