Definify.com
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.
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
oxymoron
English
Noun
oxymoron (plural oxymorons or oxymora)
- A figure of speech in which two words with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
- (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
figure of speech
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contradiction in terms — see contradiction in terms
See also
- Category:English oxymorons
References
- 1 2 oxymōrus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ↑ ὀξύς in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ↑ μωρός in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- 1 2 ὀξύμωρος in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ↑ OED:
- ↑ 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.