juxtaposition
English meaning: Juxtaposition
English Definition
(English)Juxtaposition (from Latin: juxta = beside + positio = placement) creates meaning by placing contrasting elements in proximity. In literature, Dickens juxtaposed wealth and poverty; in art, chiaroscuro juxtaposes light and dark. Juxtaposition can reveal irony, create emotional tension, or illuminate a theme through contrast. Advertising frequently uses juxtaposition — placing a product next to aspirational imagery to transfer associations.
English Definition
The placement of two contrasting things side by side to highlight their differences or to create a particular effect. Used in literature, art, photography, film, and rhetoric to generate meaning through contrast.
Example
“Dickens opens 'A Tale of Two Cities' with a celebrated juxtaposition: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times' — immediately establishing the novel's theme of radical contradiction.”
In English: “Dickens's famous opening juxtaposition captures the extremes of revolutionary France and the contradictions of the era.”
Synonyms
- contrast
- opposition
- antithesis
Antonyms / Opposites
- similarity
- harmony
- congruence
Literary Heritage
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
Images
CC-licensed · free to useVideo
Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B