Last Updated on October 5, 2021
What is Oxymoron? To help you understand what this literary device is and how it is used, this article provides detailed guidance on definitions and examples of Oxymoron, and how it can be used in a sentence.
Table of Contents
Definition of Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech containing words that seem to contradict each other. As with other rhetorical devices, oxymorons are used for a variety of purposes. Sometimes they’re used to create a little bit of drama for the reader; sometimes they’re used to make a person stop and think, whether that’s to laugh or to wonder.
The word “oxymoron” is itself oxymoronic, which is to say contradictory. The word is derived from two ancient Greek words: oxys, which means “sharp or keen” and moronos, which means “dull” or “stupid.” Therefore it means something akin to wise foolishness.
Oxymorons are not meant to be taken literally. Instead, meaning should be derived from the context in which an oxymoron is used.
A common oxymoron is the phrase “the same difference.” This phrase qualifies as an oxymoron because the words “same” and “difference” have opposite meanings. Bringing them together into one phrase can produce a verbally puzzling, yet engaging, effect.
Examples of Oxymorons
As with other figurative language, oxymorons (or oxymora) are often found in literature. As shown by this list of 100 examples, oxymorons are also part of our everyday speech. It’s likely you’ve used, or at least heard, a few oxymorons in your everyday life, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. Consider the common oxymorons and think about times they may have been included in conversations you have had.
- absent presence (Sidney 1591)
- alone together
- awful good
- beggarly riches (Donne 1624)
- bittersweet
- brisk vacancy (Ashbery 1975)
- cheerful pessimist
- civil war
- clearly misunderstood
- comfortable misery (Koontz 2001)
- conspicuous absence
- cool passion
- crash landing
- cruel kindness
- darkness visible (Milton 1667)
- deafening silence
- deceptively honest
- definite maybe
- deliberate speed
- devout atheist
- dull roar
- eloquent silence
- even odds
- exact estimate
- extinct life
- falsely true (Tennyson 1862)
- festive tranquility
- found missing
- freezer burn
- friendly takeover
- genuine imitation
- good grief
- growing smaller
- guest host
- historical present
- humane slaughter
- icy hot
- idiot savant
- ill health
- impossible solution
- intense apathy
- joyful sadness
- jumbo shrimp
- larger half
- lascivious grace (Shakespeare 1609)
- lead balloon
- liquid marble (Jonson 1601)
- living dead
- living end
- living sacrifices
- loosely sealed
- loud whisper
- loyal opposition
- magic realism
- melancholy merriment (Byron 1819)
- militant pacifist
- minor miracle
- negative growth
- negative income
- old news
- one-man band
- only choice
- openly deceptive
- open secret
- original copy
- overbearingly modest
- paper tablecloth
- paper towel
- peaceful conquest
- plastic glasses
- plastic silverware
- poor health
- pretty ugly
- properly ridiculous
- random order
- recorded live
- resident alien
- sad smile
- same difference
- scalding coolness (Hemingway 1940)
- seriously funny
- shrewd dumbness
- silent scream
- small crowd
- soft rock
- “The Sound of Silence” (Simon 1965)
- static flow
- steel wool
- student teacher
- “sweet sorrow” (Shakespeare 1595)
- terribly good
- theoretical experience
- transparent night (Whitman 1865)
- true fiction
- unbiased opinion
- unconscious awareness
- upward fall
- wise fool
- working vacation
Oxymoron Examples in Sentences
Review the example sentences below to get a better sense of how oxymorons can be used in sentences and dialogue. The sentences in this section feature oxymorons from the list above.
- My brother’s cooking is amazingly awful.
- I let out a silent scream when the teacher called on me to answer the one question that I didn’t know.
- The scholarship instructions state that I should submit an original copy of my essay.
- I asked Steve to go to the dance with me. He gave me a definite maybe.
- A small crowd seems to be gathering in the school gym.
- Climb down from there this instant!
- Just act naturally when you ask the superstar for an autograph.
- The takeout container was only loosely sealed, so there is a mess in the bag.
- My cousin and I have always had a love-hate relationship.
- This homemade ice cream is terribly good.
Oxymoron Examples in Literature and Songs
Authors and musicians often use oxymorons as a rhetorical device. For some real-world examples of oxymorons in writing, review a few lines from literature and songs.
- “A terrible beauty is born,” – from Easter 1916 by William Butler Yeats
- “All your perfect imperfections“ – from All of Me by John Legend
- “And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.” – from Lancelot and Elaine by Alfred Lord Tennyson
- “I like a smuggler. He is the only honest thief.” – from Essays of Elia by Charles Lamb
- “O loving hate.”- from Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
- “Of melancholy merriment, to quote” – from Don Juan by Lord Byron
- “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” – from Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
- “We’re busy doin’ nothin‘ – from Busy Doing Nothing by Bing Crosby
Oxymorons in Sayings and Quotes
There are some well-known phrases and quotations that make use of oxymorons. Seeing these oxymoron examples used in the context of sentences may provide a better idea of how and why they’re used. For some of these examples, the oxymorons are linked to two phrases within the sentence rather than a single phrase.
- “Modern dancing is so old fashioned.” – Samuel Goldwyn
- “I am a deeply superficial person.” – Andy Warhol
- “No one goes to that restaurant anymore. It’s always too crowded.” – Yogi Berra
- “A joke is an extremely serious issue.” – Winston Churchill
Purpose of Oxymorons
Why use phrases that don’t seem to make logical sense? They can enhance writing and communication in a variety of ways, including by adding dramatic effect.
Dramatic Effect
Saying that a picture or a scene is “painfully beautiful” calls attention to the speaker and the object of inquiry. Such a phrase shows that an object can have two different qualities at once, making it a subject for study and analysis.
Adding Flavor to Speech
When someone says a phrase such as “clearly confused,” the speaker is finding a new way to describe that individual or object.
For Entertainment
Sometimes people aren’t trying to make a profound statement when they use oxymorons. Instead, they want to be witty and show they can use words to make people laugh. One example of this is when Oscar Wilde comically reflected on the fact that he “can resist anything, except temptation.”
Difference Between Oxymoron and Paradox
Oxymoron and paradox are very similar concepts, and the definition of oxymoron states that sometimes they may present a paradox. The difference is that a paradox often is used in literature to give unexpected insights, whereas an oxymoron does not necessarily lead to any insights. Paradoxes usually defy intuition in that they combine seemingly contradictory concepts to hint at a deeper truth. Oxymora, on the other hand, are often easy to grasp the meaning of even while the terms involved are usually used to mean opposite things.
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