noun
oxymoron
ok-see-MOR-ahn/ˌɑːksɪˈmɔːrɑːn/
A combination of words or ideas that seem to contradict each other.
The phrase jumbo shrimp combines conflicting size words in an oxymoron.
Etymology
Combining “sharp” with “foolish” gives the original image “pointedly foolish.” The name itself illustrates the rhetorical device: apparently opposed ideas are joined to give an expression extra point.
In context
So, we are emotionally cool, and in that, we are full of aggression to move things forward. Cold aggression. It's kind of a juxtaposition, kind of an oxymoron
More examples
- The phrase combines opposing ideas into an oxymoron.
- She used an oxymoron to capture the contradiction.
- The class discussed several deliberate oxymorons.
Forms
oxymoron · oxymorons · oxymora
Similar words
- paradox
- A paradox is an apparently contradictory statement or situation; an oxymoron usually places conflicting terms together.
- contradiction
- A contradiction directly conflicts; an oxymoron deliberately combines opposed meanings for effect.