Meghan Jones is a word nerd who has been writing for RD.com since 2017. Generally, the ideas will come astwo separate words placed side by side. Im the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. However, the terms are also complementary as a pair. Through the phrase terrific liar, Holden is admitting that he is both a deceptive person and that hes extraordinarily great at being so. The humour derives from implying that an assumption (which might otherwise be expected to be controversial or at least non-evident) is so obvious as to be part of the lexicon. Oxymorons are an excellent, thought-provoking tool to use in writing, but they're certainly not the only device you should work with. Taken to its logical conclusion, this emphasis on the fragmentation of the body politic makes postmodern feminism an, He calls himself a "bleeding-heart conservative," and that, As the war went on, "precision bombing" became a comical, While putting those two words together is seemingly an, The riff-laden metal song may be the best-sounding Nickelback song in years and no, that is not an, For many parents, teenager communication skills is an, Affordable fine jewelry may sound like an, But the Clippers just didnt get enough Sunday, the, Consciousness without content strikes me as a contradiction, an, Once it was established that high-performance SUVs were not an, Post the Definition of oxymoron to Facebook, Share the Definition of oxymoron on Twitter. Oxymoron definition: If you describe a phrase as an oxymoron , you mean that what it refers to combines two. There are plenty more to be discovered! You'll find common figures of speech, plus references to works of classic and pop culture. An oxymoron refers to a word, phrase, or use of language that seems to directly contradict itself, and it is believed to come from the Greek ox(s), sharp, andmrs, dull. So the word for oxymoron actuallyisan oxymoron in Greek! 'Hiemal,' 'brumation,' & other rare wintry words. Hopefully, this list of oxymora has helped you understand how this figure of speech is supposed to be used. O loving hate! Delivered to your inbox! Don't be surprised if none of them want the spotl One goose, two geese. The first word is usually used to describe the second word in a way that contrasts with it. We use oxymorons because they make effective titles in literature or film, and add dramatic effect, for example, Dead Man Walking, Mr. - Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions, Definition and Examples of Literary Terms, Little Bighorn Battlefield (national monument in Montana), CatDog (American animated television series), Big Little Lies (book by Liane Moriarty, adapted into television series for HBO), Quotes from a Devout Atheist (compilation book of Richard Dawkins quotes), Waking Dream (American documentary film), You cant have more types of fake news than real news. (Elon Musk), Im nobody! An oxymoron is a consecutive set of words that have contradictory meanings. To save this word, you'll need to log in. The word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron; in Greek, oxy- means "sharp" or "wise," while moros means "foolish." Is an oxymoron always 2 words? The phrasedaily night certainly features contrary wording. Theme music by Joshua Stamper 2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP. This phrase qualifies as an oxymoron because the words "same" and "difference" have opposite meanings. Thus the word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron. Samuel Johnson defined it as, "a rhetorical figure in which an epithet of a quite contrary signification is added to any word or phrase creating a contradiction in terms.". An oxymoron term is a literary figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory words, phrases, terms or ideas
It's really interesting to see how this figure of speech finds its way into everyday communication. Here are some of our favorite oxymoron examples. O heavy lightness, serious vanity! Because of this, an oxymoron is often referred to as a contradiction in terms. in a unique way thats particularly expressive. O loving hate! Why use phrases that don't seem to make logical sense? Oxymoron Definitions The dictionary definition of oxymoron is:- A rhetorical figure of speech in which contradictory terms are paired, for example, alone together, current history or boneless ribs. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. Check out the oxymoron definition. The word "oxymoron" is itself an oxymoron. "delighted sorrow", "loyal treachery", "scalding coolness" (Hemingway).[18]. Oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms think "deafening silence," "wise fool" or "cruel kindness.". Want to learn more about figures of speech, besides oxymorons and paradoxes? What are examples of oxymoron? An example of such a "comical oxymoron" is "educational television": the humour derives entirely from the claim that it is an oxymoron by the implication that "television" is so trivial as to be inherently incompatible with "education". to compound the power behind certain words. When a single word contains two conflicting ideas. oxymoron: 1 n conjoining contradictory terms (as in `deafening silence') Type of: figure , figure of speech , image , trope language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense Saying that a picture or a scene is "painfully beautiful" calls attention to the speaker and the object of inquiry. Season 1, Episode 1. Indeed, oxymorons are often used to make fun of an idea, person, or . Nordquist, Richard. Now, don't let your brain start to hurt just yetup next, we take a look at oxymoron examples in sentences from literature and pop culture. | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | l | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z A B C cafeteria food calculated error calculated risk calculated spontaneity An oxymoron is a figure of speech containing words that seem to contradict each other. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '21006efe-96ea-47ea-9553-204221f7f333', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. However, its important that writers dont overuse oxymoron as a literary device. Nordquist, Richard. The distinction between the two is clear (now). The word "oxymoron" is itself oxymoronic, which is to say contradictory. In some languages, it is not necessary to place a conjunction like and between the two antonyms; such compounds (not necessarily of antonyms) are known as dvandvas (a term taken from Sanskrit grammar). Oxymorons are often used poetically as a way of bringing out a fresh meaning in a word or phrase. An oxymoron is a figure of speech that puts two words next to each other with very different meanings that end up making sense in a strange way. One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More | Merriam-Webster Est. So how did we arrive at spendthrift for a word for someone who spends money wastefully? It might sound like a schoolyard insult, but it's not. Oxymorons are often used in everyday conversation and ina breadth of writing, such as literature, poetry, and songwriting. [3], The term oxymoron is first recorded as Latinized Greek oxymrum, in Maurus Servius Honoratus (c. AD 400);[4] it is derived from the Greek word okss "sharp, keen, pointed"[5] and mros "dull, stupid, foolish";[6] as it were, "sharp-dull", "keenly stupid", or "pointedly foolish". Reading these words together will often cause a reader to pause and think about what the writer is trying to convey. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Lancelot and Elaine" inIdylls of the King. "faith unfaithful", "falsely true" (Tennyson),[16] But pairing it with, a very distinct meaning, comparing it to a loud noise that draws extra attention. Here's an example of paradox from George Orwell's Animal Farm: Oxymoron, , Acutifatuum aut stulte acutum, subtilly foolish; derived from , [oxy] acumen, sharpnesse of wit, and , [moros] stultus, a fool. Grammarly stands with our friends, colleagues, and family in Ukraine, and with all people of Ukraine. Oxymoronic is the adjectival form of oxymoron. And then an interesting thing happens with superette. In other words, oxymorons are contradictive words or phrases used intentionally to create an effect. The N Word is a figure of speech - a racist and hateful figure of speech. Two involve the palindrome, two involve the oxymoron, and one involves onomatopoeia. This five puzzle package is a collection of the five puzzles that I've written on the palindrome, the oxymoron, and the onomatopoeia figures of speech. One moose, two moose. The oxymoron is a figure of speech that adds depth and technique to literary works. Or plastic silverware. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. While we are loath to place restrictions on language use, oxymoron usually refers to a set of contradictory words (such as bittersweet) rather than to a contradictory person. However, the explicit advertisement of the use of oxymorons opened up a sliding scale of less than obvious construction, ending in the "opinion oxymorons" such as "business ethics". These 50+ oxymoron examples are listed alphabetically and arranged by category (i.e., the type of oxymoron word combination). insertListLink('', 1, 2, 'endfirsth2'). There is nothing really contradictory about jumbo shrimp, for examplea shrimp is a crustacean that comes in a variety of sizes and happens to have another sense meaning a small thing. Others, such as guest host or plastic glass, depend on how much credence you give to the idea of their components being opposites. An oxymoron is a self-contradicting word or group of words (as in Shakespeare's line from Romeo and Juliet, "Why, then, O brawling love! Approaching the end of the alphabet, there are still more oxymorons to explore. In literary contexts, the author does not usually signal the use of an oxymoron, but in rhetorical usage, it has become common practice to advertise the use of an oxymoron explicitly to clarify the argument, as in: In this example, "Epicurean pessimist" would be recognized as an oxymoron in any case, as the core tenet of Epicureanism is equanimity (which would preclude any sort of pessimist outlook). Think jumbo shrimp. Some oxymorons are accidental and/or so common in our speech that we dont realize that theyre totally contradictory. Bittersweet When we think of oxymorons, we often think of two-word phrases with seemingly opposite components, like "alone together" or "sweet sorrow." ), so this article explains everything you need to know. However, a bone may seem juicy to a dog that is salivating at the thought of chewing it. You can find her byline on pieces about grammar, fun facts, the meanings of various head-scratching words and phrases, and more. What Is the Figure of Speech Antiphrasis? Oftentimes a phrase cited as an example of an oxymoron is really just a play on words. The word is derived from two ancient Greek words: oxys, which means "sharp," and moronos, which means "dull" or "stupid." But once you become fluent in English, it's easy to recognize such oxymorons for the figures of speech that they are. "pointedly foolish," from oxys "sharp, pointed" (from PIE root *ak- "be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce") + mros "stupid" (see moron ). Usually, oxymorons are made up of just two words, but paradoxes are complete sentences, sometimes entire paragraphs. All Rights Reserved. There are many examples of oxymorons in the English language such as "jumbo shrimp," "hot ice," and "civil war." Oxymoron is a word that literally means "contradictory terms." Consider the oxymoron example deafening silence. It is also comedic in terms of behavior, both in terms of a man acting like a child or a child behaving like a man.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'literarydevices_net-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_15',131,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-literarydevices_net-large-mobile-banner-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'literarydevices_net-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_16',131,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-literarydevices_net-large-mobile-banner-1-0_1');.large-mobile-banner-1-multi-131{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;min-width:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. Oxymoron is a figure of speech that uses two opposing words or contradictory words to convey a new idea. Consider these oxymoron examples: I am a deeply superficial person. Andy Warhol, I distinctly remember forgetting that. Clara Barton. We have no choice., Mark Twain: It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech., Samuel Goldwyn: A verbal contract isnt worth the paper its written on.. Is it starting to seem like there is an unlimited supply of oxymorons in the English language? Too many uses of oxymoron can be either distracting or tedious for the reader. The other two oxymorons emphasize the fact that no matter what happensfor example,no matter how sad or defeated the speaker might feelthere willalways be a silver lining in that he'swith the love of his life.
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