contrapuso

Contrapuso is the third-person singular preterite form of the Spanish verb contraponer. Contraponer means to place in opposition, to counterpose, or to juxtapose in contrast. In usage, contrapuesto actions describe instances where one thing is set against another, either to highlight differences or to argue against it.

Etymology and meaning: The term derives from the prefix contra- meaning against, combined with ponER, to place or put. The sense encompasses both literal juxtaposition (placing items side by side for comparison) and figurative opposition (presenting opposing arguments or positions). In contemporary Spanish, contraponer and its forms are used across formal, scholarly, and literary contexts, though oponerse or contradecir may be more common in everyday speech.

Usage notes: Contrapuso tends to appear in narrative or analytical writing to recount a past moment when two ideas, positions, or pieces of evidence were set against one another. It carries a neutral to formal tone and can be paraphrased with haber contrapuesto, haber puesto en oposición, or, in some cases, haber contrastado, depending on nuance. The infinitive contraponer is more common in didactic or argumentative prose than the specific preterite form contrapuso, which is tied to a completed past action by a subject.

See also: contraponer, oponerse, contradecir. Further references can be found in standard Spanish dictionaries and grammar resources that cover verb conjugations and usage in polyphonic argumentation contexts.