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Webster 1913 Edition


Oxymoron


Oxˊy-mo′ron

,
Noun.
[NL., fr. Gr. [GREEK][GREEK][GREEK], fr. [GREEK][GREEK][GREEK] pointedly foolish;
ὀξύσ
sharp +
μωρόσ
foolish.]
(Rhet.)
A figure in which an epithet of a contrary signification is added to a word; e. g., cruel kindness; laborious idleness.

Webster 1828 Edition


Oxymoron

OXYMO'RON

,
Noun.
[Gr. a smart saying which at first view appears foolish.]
A rhetorical figure, in which an epithet of a quite contrary signification is added to a word; as cruel kindness.
Oxyprussic acid, chloroprussic acid.

Definition 2024


Oxymoron

Oxymoron

See also: oxymoron and oxymóron

German

Alternative forms

  • Oximoron (rarer)

Noun

Oxymoron n

  1. oxymoron (figure of speech)

oxymoron

oxymoron

See also: Oxymoron and oxymóron

English

Noun

oxymoron (plural oxymorons or oxymora)

  1. A figure of speech in which two words with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
  2. (loosely) A contradiction in terms.

Usage notes

  • Historically, an oxymoron was "a paradox with a point",[6] where the contradiction seems absurd at first glance, and yet is deliberate, its purpose being to underscore a point or to draw attention to a concealed point. The modern usage of oxymoron as a synonym for the simpler contradiction in terms is considered incorrect by some speakers and writers, and is perhaps best avoided in certain contexts.[1][4] (See also the Wikipedia article.)

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

  • Category:English oxymorons

References

  1. 1 2 oxymōrus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  2. ὀξύς in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. μωρός in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. 1 2 ὀξύμωρος in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. OED:
  6. Jebb, Sir Richard (1900). Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, with critical notes, commentary, and translation in English prose. Part III: The Antigone. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.