oxymoron

American  

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

noun

Rhetoric.

plural

oxymora, oxymorons

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

• oxymoronic adjective

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” ( oxy- ¹ ) + mōrós “dull” ( moron )

Example Sentences

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

But as David Nasaw’s “The Wounded Generation” makes emphatically clear, a good war is an oxymoron.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

When four top film studio musicians formed the Hollywood String Quartet in the late 1930s, its name was presumed an oxymoron.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2025

Until now, such a concept would have been an oxymoron, a historical phenomenon without precedent.

From Salon • May 22, 2024

I thought that was maybe what my English teacher would call an oxymoron, because you cannot truly have freedom if someone is chasing you.

From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin