Juxtapose is a back-formation from an older word. A back-formation is a word derived from an existing word, usually by removing a suffix. We will examine the definition of the word juxtapose, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.
Juxtapose means to compare two objects, ideas or images so that the differences between the two are emphasized. When two things are juxtaposed, interesting relations are sometimes drawn between them. Two things may be juxtaposed in order to make a philosophical point or to create an artistic element. Juxtapose is a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes an object. Related words are juxtaposes, juxtaposed, juxtaposing. The verb juxtapose is a mid-1800s back-formation from the word juxtaposition, which is the noun form of the word dating back to the seventeenth century. Juxtaposition is derived from the Latin word iuxta, which means close or very near.
Examples
From his first album in 1992, Richard Shindell, an expatriate New Yorker now living in Argentina, has been a meticulous craftsman of songs that paint pictures, tell stories, juxtapose ideas and images, inhabit characters, and vividly evoke entire worlds. (The Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
“Instead of doing a typical portrait or a traditional take on representing our heritage, we thought it would be interesting to juxtapose that with something that was handmade, and that has an irreverence to it,” Mr. Krakoff said. (The New York Times)
The juxtaposition of the two All-Stars’ personalities and priorities came into focus again Tuesday night as Irving returned to Cleveland with the Boston Celtics and fell 102-99 to the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in the first half of the NBA’s season-opening doubleheader. (The Akron Beacon Journal)