oxymoron

noun ox·y·mo·ron \ ˌäk-si-ˈmȯr-ˌän , -sē- \

Definition of oxymoron

plural oxymora play \ˌäk-si-ˈmȯr-ə, -sē-\

:a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (such as cruel kindness); broadly :something (such as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements

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oxymoronic

play \ˌäk-si-mə-ˈrä-nik, -mȯ-, -sē-\ adjective

—

oxymoronically

play \ˌäk-si-mə-ˈrä-ni-k(ə-)lē, -mȯ-, -sē-\ adverb

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oxymoron was our Word of the Day on 12/18/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of oxymoron in a Sentence

The phrase "Broadway rock musical" is an oxymoron. Broadway doesn't have the nerve to let the really hard stuff in the house. —Mark Coleman, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 1996/ 9 Jan. 1997
Taken to its logical conclusion, this emphasis on the fragmentation of the body politic makes postmodern feminism an oxymoron: feminism and virtually all our laws against sex discrimination reflect the presumption that women do in fact constitute a political category. —Wendy Kaminer, Atlantic, October 1993
He calls himself a "bleeding-heart conservative," and that oxymoron sums up the unique [Jack F.] Kemp role in the Bush Administration: the apostle of free enterprise who is the ambassador to the poor. —William Safire, New York Times Magazine, 25 Mar. 1990
As the war went on, "precision bombing" became a comical oxymoron relished by bomber crews with a sense of black humor. —Paul Fussell, Wartime, 1989
The phrase “cruel kindness” is an oxymoron.

Recent Examples of oxymoron from the Web

Minute Earth explains: At first, a solar panel window might seem like an oxymoron.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "How Solar Windows Could Put Transparent Panels Everywhere," 27 July 2017
No-makeup makeup is the oxymoron that just will not quit.

— sable yong, Allure, "Korean Makeup Artist, Ko Won Hye Breaks Down The Chok Chok K-Beauty Look," 22 June 2017
What sounds like an oxymoron neatly describes power seen as responsibility.

— matthew hutson, New York Times, "When Power Makes Leaders More Sensitive," 19 May 2017
Most of the draft experts (the ultimate oxymoron) will tell you there is not a surefire superstar in this year’s draft and there’s not all that much difference between the first and sixth pick.

— mike bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Don't blow it, Magic! This is the biggest draft in team history," 17 May 2017
Until now, that concept was an oxymoron, since 3-D printing has been used mainly for prototyping and customized parts.

— christopher mims, WSJ, "Your Shoes Will Be Printed Shortly," 14 May 2017
Coaching the All-Star Game is kind of an oxymoron, anyway.

— daniel mano, The Mercury News, "Steve Kerr will decide if Durant plays with Westbrook in All-Star game," 15 Feb. 2017
Three musicians are proving that computer music is no longer an oxymoron.

— robert neuwirth, WIRED, "Binary Beat," 1 May 1993

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oxymoron.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The Greeks exhaustively classified the elements of rhetoric, or effective speech and writing, and gave the name oxymoron, literally "pointed foolishness," to the deliberate juxtaposing of seemingly contradictory words. The roots of oxymoron - oxys, meaning "sharp" or "keen," and moros, meaning "foolish" - are nearly antonyms themselves, making oxymoron nicely self-descriptive. Oxymoron originally applied to a meaningful paradox condensed into a couple of words, as in "precious bane," "lonely crowd," or "sweet sorrow." Today, however, oxymoron can also refer to unintentional contradictions, like "a plastic glass."

Origin and Etymology of oxymoron

Late Greek oxymōron, from neuter of oxymōros pointedly foolish, from Greek oxys sharp, keen + mōros foolish

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First Known Use: 1657

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Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

OXYMORON Defined for English Language Learners

oxymoron

noun

Definition of oxymoron for English Language Learners

: a combination of words that have opposite or very different meanings

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See words that rhyme with oxymoron Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oxymoron

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oxymoron

Definition of oxymoron

oxymoronic

oxymoronically

oxymoron was our Word of the Day on 12/18/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of oxymoron in a Sentence

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oxymoron

Definition of oxymoron

oxymoronic

oxymoronically

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oxymoron was our Word of the Day on 12/18/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of oxymoron in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of oxymoron

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