what does oxymoron mean?

Question

my girlfriend keeps calling me it when i do something stupid..its getting on my nerves LOL

Answer 1

an oxymoron is a contradiction of sorts...it means you use two words that contradict each other.. such as "it's a pretty ugly day"
pretty is normally used to describe something beautiful and ugly well self explanatory. I have never heard this used as an insult before, saying that a person is an oxymoron. I have included a link for the direct definition and a link for a list of popular oxymorons.

Answer 2

What Does Oxymoron Mean

Answer 3

Your gf doesn't use the word oxymoron correctly.
It has nothing to do with behaving like a moron
An oxymoron is a contradictory term, like...
Military Intelligence
Friendly Fire
Tough Love
Insanely Clever
Long Shorts

You get the idea!

Answer 4

Oxymoron, ehich is a greek word, means a way of speaking about something which is exactly the opposite, or it is used to describe an absurd and contradictory situation with a funny and ridiculous aspect. Eg. If you call a small doggy "Tiger", that's an oxymoron.
Tell your girlfriend she uses the word wrongly, she can call you moron if she likes, which is also greek and means stupid or baby.

Answer 5

An oxymoron is when 2 or more words are used together but they're contradictory to each other. Here's a few examples;

clearly - confused
clearly - misunderstood
casual - sex
deafening - silence
dangerously - safe
alone - together

I think your g/f is probably using an oxymoron in relation to you when she's got this word in mind though.

butthead

As if you didn't really know.

Answer 6

An oxymoron (plural oxymora or, more commonly, oxymorons) (noun) is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms.

Oxymoron is a Greek term derived from oxy ("sharp") and moros ("dull"). The meaning is "that which is sharp and dull," thereby designating and also exhibiting an opposition between two adjectives which serve as predicates for one subject.

Oxymorons are a proper subset of the expressions called contradictions in terms. What distinguishes oxymora from other paradoxes and contradictions is that they are used intentionally, for rhetorical effect, and the contradiction is only apparent, as the combination of terms provides a novel expression of some concept, such as "cruel to be kind".

The most common form of oxymoron involves an adjective–noun combination. For example, the following line from Tennyson's Idylls of the King contains two oxymora:

"And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true"
Oxymorons can also be wooden irons or sideroxylons in that they are in violation of the Principle of contradiction which asserts that nothing can be thought if it contains contradictory characteristics, predicates, attributes, or qualities.

Answer 7

In literal terms.. An oxymoron (plural "oxymora" or "oxymorons") is a short phrase that appears self-contradictory. Oxymoron is a Greek term which can be translated literally as "sharp-witted absurdity".

Just in case you don’t know, an oxymoron is a figure of speech in which contradictory or opposite terms or ideas are combined.


The word has its origins in the Greek: oxy = "sharp, pointed" and moros, moron = "foolish". In other words, "pointedly foolish". An oxymoron is also defined as “a wittily paradoxical turn of phrase which appeals to ‘unconscious responses instead of rational examinations’ ”. ... Is it possible she is calling you that because she thinks you are "SHARP"????

Answer 8

It has nothing to do with ones intelligence. You girlfriend does not know what it means or she would not call you that.

An oxymoron (plural oxymora or, more commonly, oxymorons) (noun) is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms.

[edit] Popular oxymorons
In popular usage, the term oxymoron is sometimes used more loosely, in the sense of a simple contradiction in terms. Often, it is then applied to expressions which, unlike real oxymora, are used in full earnest and without any sense of paradox by many speakers in everyday language.

Calling such an expression an oxymoron is sometimes done in order to disparage its use, by drawing attention to a perceived inherent contradiction and thus claiming it to be nonsensical. Often this kind of argument is used in domains of political or ideological dispute, or in order to criticize a perceived nonsensical use of technical terms by lay people who fail to understand their true meanings. Examples of expressions that are used without a sense of paradox by some but have been claimed to be "oxymorons" in this sense by critics include:

civil libertarian
anecdotal evidence
inductive logic
Larger half
Pretty ugly
deafening silence
Jumbo shrimp

Answer 9

Well, our girlfriend is wrong by using that term. It actually refers to a word or two words put together side by side, and it is the opposite of each other. Like bitter smile. Smile is used to symbolize happiness most of the time. Yet bitter is the opposite of happiness.

Answer 10

Technically it is the use of two contradictory terms, eg cruel to be kind, but unless there is something about you that is particularly paradoxical (eg you are usually quite intelligent but occasionally you do something stupid), I suspect she is just using it cos it has the word "moron" in it.