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.

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

But as David Nasaw’s “The Wounded Generation” makes emphatically clear, a good war is an oxymoron.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

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 • Jul. 12, 2025

Job security is basically an oxymoron in the world of professional coaching, and the turnover rate right now in the NHL is wild.

From Seattle Times • May 13, 2024

A November stillness was settling like a deadly oxymoron on the April landscape.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Vocabulary lists containing oxymoron

Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory

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Poetry: Literary Devices

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AP English Lit exam terms

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