Definitions

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.

At this point, women’s boxing is pretty much an oxymoron, but Jim is bright enough to spot an opportunity when it’s standing right in front of him.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Affordable housing is increasingly an oxymoron and a cruel joke.

From Salon

Hell, he got Tulsi Gabbard confirmed by the Senate as the Director of National Intelligence – and most Democrats thought uttering her name and the word “intelligence” in a sentence was an oxymoron.

From Salon

oxymoron

Example Sentences

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