contradiction in terms
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It made her seem like a contradiction in terms, a performing seal, rather than a complex human being.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025
According to your predilection, this designation will seem either a contradiction in terms or a natural state of affairs …
From Slate • Jun. 6, 2025
Despite having been converted by a gangster, he regards the idea of religious criminals as a contradiction in terms.
From BBC • Dec. 20, 2024
We’re not going to try to define freakiness here, since it would almost be a contradiction in terms to suggest that anyone has to adhere to certain standards to qualify.
From New York Times • Dec. 3, 2024
We laughed among ourselves at the idea of “warm” jail food; it was a contradiction in terms.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
