About this episode
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 25, 2026 is:
juxtapose • \JUK-stuh-pohz\ • verb
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:
“... 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.
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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day — juxtapose. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
0:00It's Merriam Webster's Word of the Day for April 25th. Today's word is juxtapose spelled J-U-X-T-A-P-O-S-E. juxtapose is a verb. Two juxtapose things is to place them together in order to create an interesting effect or to show how they are the same or different. Here's the word used in a sentence from After the Flood, Inside Bob Dylan's Memory Palace by Robert Palito. On murder-most foul, Dylan thwarts Ready Made nostalgia, an easy revisiting of the storybook 60s and his golden spokesman moment. Instead mixing and juxtaposing voices, lingoes, and tones, he traces the decline of America over the trajectory of his own lifetime.
1:00Although it doesn't feature the word juxtapose, a classic segment from a 1969 episode of Cessaristreet 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 juxtap, meaning near, with the English word position. The use of juxtapose isn't limited to tangible objects, however, images, ideas, concepts,
2:00and more are frequently juxtaposed. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski. Visit marionwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.
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