Definition

1. Noun:
   • A figure of speech in which two seemingly contradictory or opposite terms are combined for rhetorical effect, often to create a paradoxical or thought-provoking image or concept.

Usage

The word "oxymoron" is used to identify and describe a specific literary and rhetorical device. It is a formal term commonly found in discussions of language, literature, and writing. It is used as a countable noun (e.g., "an oxymoron," "several oxymorons").

Examples

Advanced Usage

• Conceptual Oxymoron: Sometimes used to describe a situation, idea, or person that seems inherently self-contradictory.
  • The idea of a "peaceful war" is an oxymoron.
• As a Predicate Noun: Used after linking verbs like "is" or "seems."
  • The term "business ethics" seems like an oxymoron to some critics.

Variants and Related Words

• Oxymoronic (adjective): Having the nature of or resembling an oxymoron; containing a contradiction in terms.
  • It was an oxymoronic statement, both thrilling and terrifying.

Different Meanings

The core meaning of "oxymoron" is consistent. It does not have widely different meanings, though its application can range from describing a simple phrase to critiquing a complex, contradictory concept.

Synonyms

• Contradiction in terms: A phrase directly stating its own contradiction.
• Paradox: A broader term for a statement that seems self-contradictory but may reveal a truth. (Note: An oxymoron is a compact, two-word paradox.)

Idioms

• A walking oxymoron: A humorous or critical description of a person whose actions or characteristics are consistently self-contradictory.
  • He preaches simplicity but owns ten sports cars; he's a walking oxymoron.

Phrasal Verbs

Not applicable. "Oxymoron" is a noun and does not form phrasal verbs.

Noun

1. conjoining contradictory terms (as in `deafening silence')