oxymoron

American  

[ok-si-mawr-on, -mohr-] / ˌɒk sɪˈmɔr ɒn, -ˈmoʊr- /

noun

Rhetoric.

• oxymora,
  plural
• oxymorons
  plural

1. a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.”

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oxymoron British  

/ ˌɒksɪˈmɔːrɒn /

noun

1. rhetoric an epigrammatic effect, by which contradictory terms are used in conjunction

   living death

   fiend angelical

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oxymoron Cultural  

1. A rhetorical device in which two seemingly contradictory words are used together for effect: “She is just a poor little rich girl.”

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• oxymoronic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• oxymora
  plural
• oxymorons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of oxymoron

First recorded in 1650–60; from Late Latin oxymorum, from presumed Greek oxýmōron (unrecorded), neuter of oxýmōros (unrecorded) “sharp-dull,” equivalent to oxý(s) “sharp” ( see oxy- ¹) + mōrós “dull” ( see moron)

Explanation

Jumbo shrimp? Open secret? Use oxymoron to refer to a word or phrase that contradicts itself, usually to create some rhetorical effect. When Shakespeare's Juliet says, "Parting is such sweet sorrow," she is using an oxymoron; her apparently self-contradictory turn of phrase actually makes a neat kind of sense. Oxymoron is sometimes used to describe a word combination that strikes the listener as humorously contradictory, even if the speaker didn't intend it that way. The word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron; in Greek, oxy- means "sharp" or "wise," while moros means "foolish."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oxymoron oxymorons

“It’s not an oxymoron, though it sounds like one,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“Foreseeable future” is an oxymoron right up there with “jumbo shrimp.”

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

You can, even if it sounds like an oxymoron, travel alone without being a solo traveler.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026

Wintertime salads may be an oxymoron for some, but to me, they’re a necessity.

From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026

A November stillness was settling like a deadly oxymoron on the April landscape.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

As oxymorons go, it’s the operatic equivalent to Noam Chomsky’s famous syntactic puzzle “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.”

From New York Times ● May 16, 2024

“People think ‘disabled’ and ‘hiker’ are oxymorons, like you can’t be disabled and go hiking, and that’s just not true at all,” Nagakyrie said.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023

The story deals in oxymorons – bitter desire, weak power – and jolts to a conclusion that is harsh, cool, indelible.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 2, 2019

What it creates are these sports oxymorons, all in the hope of gaining fame by virtue of having none.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2018

“I erased my entire hard drive last night. I need to load everything back on and rewrite that essay for English. Hey, Brady, remember those oxymorons we talked about in lit the other day?”

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings