What does juxtapose mean?
Word: Juxtapose
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Juxtapose means to put two people or things together so that their differences show clearly.
Word origin: Comes from French juxtaposer, from Latin juxta and French poser.
How do you spell juxtapose?
Syllables: jux - ta - pose
Tricky part: Many students write o or e in the second syllable, because the sound there is so faint. The letter is a.
Watch out for: juxtopose, juxtepose
Memory tip: Set two things on a table to compare them: the a of table is the a you need in the middle.
Juxtapose in a sentence
Example 1: The artist likes to juxtapose bright colours with dull grey walls.
Example 2: Our textbook juxtaposes two poems about the sea so that we can compare them.
Example 3: The film juxtaposes busy city life with the quiet of a Himalayan village.
Fun Fact
The noun juxtaposition is common in writing about art and photography, where a surprising pair can make a whole picture.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Juxtapose contains the Latin word juxta. What did juxta mean?
a) next to
b) across from
c) far from
d) on top of
Show answer
a) next to. Things that are juxtaposed sit next to each other, so the differences stand out.
Spell Probe
Choose the meaning of the misspelt word in the sentence:
The gallery likes to juxtapoze old black-and-white photographs with bright modern paintings of the same streets.
a) pictures made with a camera
b) a building where works of art are shown
c) to arrange two things to bring out a contrast
d) works made with colour on a surface
Show answer
c) to arrange two things to bring out a contrast. The last part is spelt like the ordinary word pose; gallery, photographs and paintings are correct.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
pxoeustja 123456789
a) 852791364
b) 852791346
c) 825791364
d) 852719364
Show answer
a) 852791364. The digits lead you to a verb about placing things together.
Word Champ
In which option are the given words arranged in alphabetical order?
1. jute 2. juxtapose 3. justify 4. jurisdiction
a) 4132
b) 3412
c) 4321
d) 4312
Show answer
d) 4312. The third letters r, s, t and x settle the order.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A poster juxtaposes a clean river and a dirty one. What is the likely aim?
a) to show that both rivers are alike
b) to save space on the paper
c) to make the contrast hard to miss
d) to hide the name of the river
Show answer
c) to make the contrast hard to miss
2. A writer who puts a rich palace beside a poor hut in one scene wants readers to ___.
a) think they are the same size
b) forget about both of them
c) guess where the story ends
d) notice how different they are
Show answer
d) notice how different they are
