What is an oxymoron?

Question

like what is the defintion and maybe an example of one i always see that word and i have no idea what it is

Answer 1

A phrase which appears to be a self-contradiction: "a loud silence" is the classic example. [note, the word oxymoron is from two words meaning sharp and dull and is thus itself what it defines]

Answer 2

An oxymoron is a "confusion that exists among similar elements where one of the elements is mistaken as being somehow different, when the element in question is actually one and the same as the other"! Confusing definition? Well, here's the example. When someone says, "Well, isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black? Isn't that an oxymoron?" And the explanation is: The pot and the kettle are both metal containers and both are instruments of the cook and both share the same home room, the kitchen. And then this image is presented where the pot is attempting to gain superiority over the kettle, when the list of the similarities between the two of them is so overwhelming, that the over-inflated self-important pot is almost identical to the kettle which he is proclaiming to be so different than how he sees himself, this pot. They are rather more like "two peas in a pod", they are more alike than they are not alike, that's the definition of "oxymoron"! Wierd reversal isn't it? A reversal that cannot actually reverse, because only one gear exists, and that's full forward straight ahead, because reversal is an illusion because the actual reality is in complete opposition to the attempted reversal or concept! Hope you can follow this! I think I'm dizzy now!

Answer 3

An oxymoron is a paradox reduced to two words, usually in an adjective-noun ("eloquent silence") or adverb-adjective ("inertly strong") relationship, and is used for effect, to emphasize contrasts, incongruities, hypocrisy, or simply the complex nature of reality. Examples: wise fool, ignorantly learned, laughing sadness, pious hate.

Answer 4

Search for oxymoron and you'll find the definition in online dictionaries, articles in online encyclopedias and list upon list of oxymora; common, deliberate, figure of speech, popular, etc, etc.

You could start with some of the references I've included here.

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.

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".

A rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are combined, as in a deafening silence and a mournful optimist.

From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.

An oxymoron consists of two words that seem to contradict (go against, or be the opposite of) each other, or actually do contradict each other.

Oxymoron - a contradiction in terms.

bitter-sweet
cruel kindness
dark day
larger half
living dead
paid volunteer
poor rich kid
pretty ugly
silent scream
true lies
wise fool

Online list of oxymorons (most of which are oxymorons in the non-standard sense of "contradiction in terms", and some being only contradictions in terms by virtue of puns; claimed to be the largest such online list)
Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oxymoron"

From Oxymoron List.com
Top 20 List:
20. Government Organization
19. Alone Together
18. Personal Computer
17. Silent Scream
16. Living Dead
15. Same Difference
14. Taped Live
13. Plastic Glasses
12. Tight Slacks
11. Peace Force
10. Pretty Ugly
9. Head Butt
8. Working Vacation
7. Tax Return
6. Virtual Reality
5. Dodge Ram
4. Work Party
3. Jumbo Shrimp
2. Healthy Tan
1. Microsoft Works

oxymoron (classical plural oxymora; Anglicized plural oxymorons)

A figure of speech in which two words of opposing meanings are used together to express two contrasting qualities in one concept.

"Bitter-sweet" is an example of an oxymoron; memories that are bitter-sweet are both painful and pleasant to recall.

(loosely; non-standard) A contradiction in terms.

A paradoxical juxtaposition of two seemingly contradictory words.

The standard meaning of oxymoron is the figure of speech described here, in which the contradiction is deliberate.

In a contradiction in terms, the contradiction is unintentional and the person using the word is often unaware of it.

Use of oxymoron in the latter sense obscures the standard meaning of the word and so is avoided by careful speakers and writers.



Deliberate use of oxymorons
"So fair and foul a day I have not seen!" William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act I, Scene I
"O miserable abundance, O beggarly riches!" John Donne, "Devotions on Emergent Occasions"
"I do here make humbly bold to present them with a short account of themselves... " Jonathan Swift
"The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, / With loads of learned lumber in his head..." Alexander Pope
"He was now sufficiently composed to order a funeral of modest magnificence..." Samuel Johnson
"O anything of nothing first create! / O heavy lightness, serious vanity! / Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms! / Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!" William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene I

Answer 5

A rhetorical device in which two seemingly contradictory words are used together for effect: “She is just a poor little rich girl.”
Here are other examples:
# a fine mess
# a little big
# a new classic
# absolutely unsure
# abundant poverty
# accidentally on purpose
# accurate stereotype
# act naturally
# adult children
# advanced beginner
# aging yuppie
# alone together
# almost always
# almost perfect
# appear invisible
# arid ocean
# assistant supervisor
# authentic reproduction
# awfully nice
# big baby
# bittersweet
# blinding light
# black light
# clearly ambiguous
# confirmed rumor
# consistently inconsistent
# constant change
# constant variable
# cruel kindness
# current history
# dangerously safe
# deafening silence (& loud silence etc.)
# definite maybe
# deliberate mistake
# deliberately thoughtless
# democratic centralism
# detailed summary
# diplomatic offensive
# dry lake
# elevated subway
# exact estimate
# false positive
# found missing

Answer 6

Two words which when said together contradict each other, but we can understand what the meaning is.
tidy mess, sweet misery, perfectly damaged, cloudy light, rounded square

Answer 7

an oxymoron (way moronic) is a two word (usually) phrase that betrays itself, ie: army intelligence

Answer 8

two contrasting words put together.

examples: sweet misery; living dead; deafening silence; anecdotal evidence; daily specials

Answer 9

a phrase that contradicts itself
"A tidy mess"
"Organized Chaos"