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Which phrase is an oxymoron?

oxymoron

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


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.

See Examples For:

“It’s not an oxymoron, though it sounds like one,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“Foreseeable future” is an oxymoron right up there with “jumbo shrimp.”

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

Wintertime salads may be an oxymoron for some, but to me, they’re a necessity.

From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026

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 ● Dec. 9, 2025

"An oxymoron makes a new meaning out of two opposites, Sunny."

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

“People think ‘disabled’ and ‘hiker’ are oxymorons, like you can’t be disabled and go hiking, and that’s just not true at all,” Nagakyrie said.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023

The story deals in oxymorons – bitter desire, weak power – and jolts to a conclusion that is harsh, cool, indelible.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 2, 2019

What it creates are these sports oxymorons, all in the hope of gaining fame by virtue of having none.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2018

For me, this was a kind of liberation — because having “help” translates to being “helpless,” one of those neat oxymorons.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2017

So there we were, all of us laughing because we’d knocked out four oxymorons smack in a row—and that’s when we first saw the red kayak.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings




Vocabulary lists containing oxymoron


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