Nearby Words
sɪˈmɔrnoun, plural ox·y·mo·ra 
[ok-si-mawr-uh, -mohr-uh] , ox·y·mor·ons. Rhetoric.
[ok-si-mawr-uh, -mohr-uh] , ox·y·mor·ons. Rhetoric. a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Oxymoron
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Example Sentences
- The truth is that "low-key wedding" is an oxymoron.
- This proves to me that the buzz term of "a jobless recovery" is an oxymoron.
- Today we are after that rarer oxymoron: the wisest fool.
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
oxymoron
1657, from Gk. oxymoron, noun use of neut. of oxymoros (adj.) "pointedly foolish," from oxys "sharp" (see acrid) + moros "stupid." Rhetorical figure by which contradictory terms are conjoined so as to give point to the statement or expression; the word itself is an illustration
EXPANDof the thing. Now often used loosely to mean "contradiction in terms."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
oxymoron [(ok-see-mawr-on)]A rhetorical device in which two seemingly contradictory words are used together for effect: “She is just a poor little rich girl.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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