contradiction in terms

A statement that seems to contradict itself, with one part of it denying another. For example, I've always believed that “a poor millionaire” was a contradiction in terms. [Late 1700s]

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Nearby words

contracture, contracyclical, contradance, contradict, contradiction, contradiction in terms, contradictious, contradictive, contradictory, contradistinction, contradistinguish

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.