oxymoron
/ˌɒksɪˈmɔːrɒn
/noun
A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith unfaithful kept him falsely true).Yes, but it does leave a reader ever more certain that the term ‘mature male’ is an oxymoron....
- One day I sat her down to explain to her the word oxymoron and then to describe a magnificent and bucolic world of insults.
- The idea of a light of darkness is certainly an oxymoron, certainly a contradiction in terms, and yet we find that among various mystics.
Derivatives
oxymoronic
- As their name suggests, ‘romances of real life’ denote a self-consciously oxymoronic genre.
- This might sound oxymoronic, but the fact is relaxation has turned into an aggressive sport.
- It is that tension between safety and satire that has traditionally rendered oxymoronic the very notion of corporate comedy.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Greek oxumōron, neuter (used as a noun) of oxumōros 'pointedly foolish', from oxus 'sharp' + mōros 'foolish'.
Rhymes
- consistency
- consistent
- consistently
- consistorial
- consistory
- consistory court
- consociate
- consociation
- consociational
- consociationalism
- consolable
- consolation
- consolation goal
- consolation prize
- consolatory
- console
- consoler
- console table
- consolidate
- Consolidated Fund
- consolidation
- consolidation loan
- consolidator
- consolidatory
- consolingly