oxymoron

American  

[ok-si-mawr-on, -mohr-] / ˌɒk sɪˈmɔr ɒn, -ˈmoʊr- /

noun

Rhetoric.

• oxymora,
  plural
• oxymorons
  plural

1. a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.”

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oxymoron British  

/ ˌɒksɪˈmɔːrɒn /

noun

1. rhetoric an epigrammatic effect, by which contradictory terms are used in conjunction

   living death

   fiend angelical

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oxymoron Cultural  

1. A rhetorical device in which two seemingly contradictory words are used together for effect: “She is just a poor little rich girl.”

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• oxymoronic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• oxymora
  plural
• oxymorons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of oxymoron

First recorded in 1650–60; from Late Latin oxymorum, from presumed Greek oxýmōron (unrecorded), neuter of oxýmōros (unrecorded) “sharp-dull,” equivalent to oxý(s) “sharp” ( see oxy- ¹) + mōrós “dull” ( see moron)

Explanation

Jumbo shrimp? Open secret? Use oxymoron to refer to a word or phrase that contradicts itself, usually to create some rhetorical effect. When Shakespeare's Juliet says, "Parting is such sweet sorrow," she is using an oxymoron; her apparently self-contradictory turn of phrase actually makes a neat kind of sense. Oxymoron is sometimes used to describe a word combination that strikes the listener as humorously contradictory, even if the speaker didn't intend it that way. The word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron; in Greek, oxy- means "sharp" or "wise," while moros means "foolish."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oxymoron oxymorons

Starting a business in retirement may sound like an oxymoron, but the idea has quite a few virtues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

“Foreseeable future” is an oxymoron right up there with “jumbo shrimp.”

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

That sounds like an oxymoron: We don’t tend to expect illness or old age to create a problem in our life when we are young, but preparing for such eventualities is important.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 9, 2025

Has the term “Dodgers organization” become an oxymoron?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2024

A November stillness was settling like a deadly oxymoron on the April landscape.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

“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

He reconciled the contradictions of capitalism by embracing oxymorons.

From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2020

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

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