Word of the Day

: January 9, 2007

oxymoron

noun ahk-sih-MOR-ahn

What It Means

: a combination of contradictory or incongruous words

oxymoron in Context

"That's an oxymoron!" said Joanne, when she heard the DJ describe the song as an "instant classic."

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."