oxymoron
noun
a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.”
oxymorons
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pluralof oxymoron.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“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
For me, this was a kind of liberation — because having “help” translates to being “helpless,” one of those neat oxymorons.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2017
So there we were, all of us laughing because we’d knocked out four oxymorons smack in a row—and that’s when we first saw the red kayak.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
