juxtoposition

Noun

juxtaposition (countable and uncountable, plural juxtapositions)

1. The nearness of objects with little or no delimiter.
   • It is the object of the mechanical atomistic philosophy to confound synthesis with synartesis, or rather with mere juxtaposition of corpuscles separated by invisible interspaces.1809, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Friend

   Synonyms:

   apposition

   1. An absence of linking elements in a group of words that are listed together.
      • Example: mother father instead of mother and father
   2. An absence of operators in an expression.
      • Using juxtaposition for multiplication saves space when writing longer expressions. a#92;timesb collapses to ab.
2. The extra emphasis given to a comparison when the contrasted objects are close together.
   • There was a poignant juxtaposition between the boys laughing in the street and the girl crying on the balcony above.
   1. Two or more contrasting sounds, colours, styles etc. placed together for stylistic effect.
      • The juxtaposition of the bright yellows on the dark background made the painting appear three dimensional.
   2. (rhetoric) The close placement of two ideas to imply a link that may not exist.
      • Example: In 1965 the government was elected; in 1965 the economy took a dive.

See all 7 meanings of juxtaposition