oxymoron

[ok-si-mawr-on, -mohr-] / ˌɒk sɪˈmɔr ɒn, -ˈmoʊr- /

NOUN

figure of speech

Synonyms

WEAK

adumbration allegory alliteration allusion analogue analogy anaphora anticlimax antistrophe antithesis aposiopesis apostrophe asyndeton bathos comparison conceit device echoism ellipsis euphemism euphuism exaggeration expression flourish flower hyperbole image imagery irony litotes malapropism manner of speaking metaphor metonymy onomatopoeia ornament parable paradox parallel personification proteron rhetoric sarcasm satire simile stylistic device synecdoche trope tropology turn of phrase understatement way of speaking

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That sounds like an oxymoron: We don’t tend to expect illness or old age to create a problem in our life when we are young, but preparing for such eventualities is important.

From MarketWatch

But as David Nasaw’s “The Wounded Generation” makes emphatically clear, a good war is an oxymoron.

From The Wall Street Journal

When four top film studio musicians formed the Hollywood String Quartet in the late 1930s, its name was presumed an oxymoron.

From Los Angeles Times

“The phrase ‘homeless veteran’ should be an American oxymoron,” the complaint said.

From Los Angeles Times

Has the term “Dodgers organization” become an oxymoron?

From Los Angeles Times

oxymoron

Example Sentences

Related Words