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

noun

• 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

Oxymoron or not, Hollywood produced the first notable American string quartet.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2025

Outside, I flew my Oxymoron flag: the red and blue of the union jack represented in its complementary colours, which make it become the green and orange of the Irish tricolour.

From The Guardian • May 6, 2019

Schoolboy Q, presenting tracks from his excellent new album, "Oxymoron," owned his stage Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2014

That East-West thing might never be what it was, but Oxymoron is a reminder that what sounds like the world getting smaller is really the world getting a whole lot bigger.

From Slate • Mar. 4, 2014

Oxymoron as Behold them unbeheld, unheard Hear all. —'none'.

From The Early Poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson by Collins, John Churton