oxymoron

[ ok-si-mawr-on, -mohr- ]

/ ˌɒk sɪˈmɔr ɒn, -ˈmoʊr- /

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noun, plural ox·y·mo·ra

[ok-si-mawr-uh, -mohr-uh], /ˌɒk sɪˈmɔr ə, -ˈmoʊr ə/, ox·y·mor·ons.Rhetoric.

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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Origin of oxymoron

1650–60; <Late Latin oxymorum< presumed Greek *oxýmōron, neuter of *oxýmōros sharp-dull, equivalent to oxý(s) sharp (see oxy-¹) + mōrós dull (see moron)

OTHER WORDS FROM oxymoron

ox·y·mo·ron·ic

[ok-see-muh-ron-ik], /ˌɒk si məˈrɒn ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby oxymoron

oxygen weed, oxyhaemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin, oxyhydrogen, oxymetazoline, oxymoron, oxymorphone, oxyneurine, oxyntic, oxyphilic, oxysalt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use oxymoron in a sentence

Her own lawyer has called her a high-functioning conservatee, which conservatorship experts have noted is an oxymoron in the conservatorship system.
The Investigative Reporting Behind America’s Obsession With Britney Spears’ Conservatorship|by Robin Fields|July 13, 2021|ProPublica
The very notion that we should have come together was an oxymoron.
Lucinda Franks, Pulitzer-winning journalist and author, dies at 74|Harrison Smith|May 6, 2021|Washington Post
Before you protest that the phrase is an oxymoron, remember that we’re in the midst of a pandemic whose scope we couldn’t have imagined a little over a year ago.
Will the Pandemic Spawn a New Genre of Cult Classics? Barb and Star Suggests Yes|Stephanie Zacharek|March 6, 2021|Time
Among scientists, scientific certainty is an oxymoron and the bar for even approaching certainty is extremely high.
Is there really a ‘science of reading’ that tells us exactly how to teach kids to read?|Valerie Strauss|January 26, 2021|Washington Post

Being a progressive safety first marketer shouldn’t be an oxymoron in the current climate — but it is.
As YouTube adopts new standards, the transition from brand safety to suitability is accelerating|Seb Joseph|October 22, 2020|Digiday

British Dictionary definitions for oxymoron

oxymoron

/ (ˌɒksɪˈmɔːrɒn) /

noun plural -mora (-ˈmɔːrə)

rhetoric an epigrammatic effect, by which contradictory terms are used in conjunctionliving death; fiend angelical

Word Origin for oxymoron

C17: via New Latin from Greek oxumōron, from oxus sharp + mōros stupid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for oxymoron

oxymoron

[ (ok-see-mawr-on) ]

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

oxymoron

Origin of oxymoron

OTHER WORDS FROM oxymoron

Words nearby oxymoron

Words related to oxymoron

How to use oxymoron in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for oxymoron

Word Origin for oxymoron

Cultural definitions for oxymoron