contradiction in terms

Idioms  

1. 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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Example Sentences

This might seem a contradiction in terms, but the strategy appears clear from his words, including the highly personal attack on his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa.

From BBC

Constitutional law scholar John Hart Ely once scoffed that “ ‘substantive due process’ is a contradiction in terms — sort of like ‘green pastel redness.’

From Washington Post

Similarly, the claim that thriving multiethnic democracy is a contradiction in terms may come as news to citizens of places like Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ghana and Botswana — often-cited examples of successful diverse democracies.

From Washington Post

“So to be investing in kind of carbon intensive industries that are contributing more to climate change would be kind of a contradiction in terms.”

From Los Angeles Times

FOR SOME, THE idea of environmentally conscious contemporary art is a contradiction in terms.

From New York Times