[Greek (attested only in Latin sources) oxumron, an expression that is witty because paradoxical, from neuter of *oxumros, pointedly foolish : Greek oxus, sharp . Smiles are rarely associated with pain. insertListLink('', 1, 2, 'endfirsth2'). For even more examples of oxymorons in sentences, take a look at these examples of funny oxymoron quotes. 1. Oxymoron is a figure of speech pairing two words together that are opposing and/or contradictory. SCRABBLE is a registered trademark. Prepositions of Time at in on Science fiction, magical realism, and historical fiction are all oxymoronic. By that measure, no crisis is unimportant or minor. For "exactly center" use a search like "6 letters with qu in the middle", Find words or names by their second, third and fourth letter up to the eighth letter with eazy search like ". The shackles of an old love straitened him, His honour rooted in dishonour stood, And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true. "i find nothing more depressing than optimism.". Read literally, they contradict themselves. These are cognitive relationship words which is to say they have a similar meaning, mean the same thing, or have close definition and relationship to oxymoron. Indicates irony and creates humor in a work. The adjective for this word is oxymoronic and the adverb oxymoronically. Sometimes people aren't trying to make a profound statement when they use oxymorons. Browse 110 oxymoron stock photos and images available, or search for contradiction or irony to find more great stock photos and pictures. "Alone Together": Song by Fall Out Boy. Keep going to discover even more. Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oxymoron. Oxymoron is made up of two words that are Greek to me. Struggling with distance learning? For some of these examples, the oxymorons are linked to two phrases within the sentence rather than a single phrase. pronounced: ox-ee-MOR-on | plural: oxymora, oxymorons. There are some well-known phrases and quotations that make use of oxymorons. If you could not find the words you were looking for, please submit feedback or leave a comment below. Answer (1 of 9): Google "literary devices list with examples". Example: "Parting is such sweet sorrow." William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. Provide words that can be used twice or more in one sentence with example sentences. Oxymoron. Manage Settings Oxymorons in Romeo and Juliet. Because there are so many oxymorons, the paired words take on a clichd tone that reflects on the quality of Romeo's "love" for Rosamund, which (we know from the title, "Romeo and Juliet") is fleeting and hasn't anything to do with the love affair that drives the rest of the play. Without, or with, offence to friends or foes. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Who are you? What is the difference between oxymoron and paradox? Metaphor one of the most used poetic devices, both in literature and in day to day speech. Oxymoron Example 2. The scholarship instructions state that I should submit an, I asked Steve to go to the dance with me. For example, someone might (wrongly) call the phrase "business ethics" an oxymoron, simply to make the claim that business is always unethical. Remember, not all synonyms are suitable replacements in all contexts. ThoughtCo. Similar to an oxymoron, a paradox combines two contradictory ideas in a way that, although illogical, still seems to make sense. Oxymorons also feature in modern comedy and politics. Seriously funny Same difference Jumbo shrimp Rolling stop. This combination of contrary or antithetical words is also known in conversation as a contradiction in terms. Oxymorons are often used to add comedy and display wit. Here's a good one: Literary Devices | Literary Terms. A general meaning of "contradiction in terms" is recorded by the 1902 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Salinger uses an oxymoron in this quote by Holden Caulfield, the narrator of the novel. Conversation Starters This statement made by Holden reveals the level of complexity and impact an oxymoron can have as a literary device when it comes to interpretation. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. However, its important that writers dont overuse oxymoron as a literary device. This love feel I, that feel no love in this. oxymoron. An oxymoron term is a literary figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory words, phrases, terms or ideas 3. If you're learning English as a second language, you might be confused by these figures of speech. This means that oxymoron is a figure of speech that includes just a couple of contradictory words that are paired together rather than a full statement of ideas. 100 Awfully Good Examples of Oxymorons. Accessed 1 Mar. Oxymoron brings two words with contradictory meanings together, the end result of which is a phrase that is inadvertently funny (in most cases). It's really interesting to see how this figure of speech finds its way into everyday communication. 'Oxymoron' is the singular form, and 'Oxymora' (or 'Oxymorons') is the plural form. Quick word find. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. An oxymoron is a figure of speech words that seem to cancel each other out, like "working vacation" or "instant classic." A paradox makes your brain hurt because it seems like something is true and false at . Oh my God, you have Cabbage Patch! ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I mean, this is an oxymoron, there's nothing free about the speech today. Word lists are in the order of the most common words and most searched. Remember, not all synonyms are suitable replacements in all contexts. Through the phrase terrific liar, Holden is admitting that he is both a deceptive person and that hes extraordinarily great at being so. This allows us to group slight variations of the same word. For example, as we covered above, Shakespeare used oxymorons to describe strong, opposing emotions that often occur together, and also to show how the friction between those two feelingslove and hate, or love and pain, for examplecan coexist and shape characters' experiences. The best way to make money is to spend money. Late Greek oxymron, from neuter of oxymros pointedly foolish, from Greek oxys sharp, keen + mros foolish. Overall, as a literary device, oxymoron functions as a means of getting the readers attention through the pairing of opposing or contradictory words. Starts with o, ends with n, five consonants, three vowels and four syllables. oxymoron, a word or group of words that is self-contradicting, as in bittersweet or plastic glass. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples If Holdens claim is that he is wonderful at being an untruthful person, then he casts doubt as to the truth of his own statement to the reader about being a terrific liar as well. For example, just pairing any two words that are contradictory wont make for an effective oxymoron. My play was a complete success. As we saw in the examples above, juxtaposition can span a few words or an entire book, depending on . An oxymoron is a figure of speech where two words of opposite meaning are used together. Here are some well-known and recognizable examples of this figure of speech: People are often confused by the difference between oxymoron and paradox. Both have to do with using contradiction to reveal deeper truths, but they differ in an important way: an oxymoron is a device, while a paradox is an idea. However, a bone may seem juicy to a dog that is salivating at the thought of chewing it. This oxymoron is symbolic of the human condition as reflected in the poets mention of our human lot. In addition, this oxymoron supports and complements the balance of oppositions featured in the rest of the poems structure, such as good and bad, without or with, and friends or foes. In this creative writing activity, students will put their figurative language skills to the test as they craft a story using some catchy contradictory phrases! Determining Word Rank The word rank metric is a measure of word frequency, with frequent words corresponding to higher ranks. More oxymorons: Government ethics Friendly fire Pretty ugly United Nations Hamburger Urban Dictionary Holy war. Even so, Pope uses oxymoron to emphasize that people who are well-read are not necessarily original thinkers. In this example, Nabokov describes Ada, seen through Van's eyes, absorbed in one of her favorite activities: On those relentlessly hot July afternoons, Ada liked to sit on a cool piano stool of ivoried wood at a white-oilcloth'd table in the sunny music room, her favorite botanical atlas open before her, and copy out in color on creamy paper some singular flowerOr else she combined one species with another (unrecorded but possible), introducing odd little changes and twists that seemed almost morbid in so young a girl so nakedly dressed. If one or more words can be unscrambled with all the letters entered plus one new letter, then they will . Effective use of juxtaposition can change the tone of an entire poem. The distinction between the two is clear (now). The following oxymoron occurs repeatedly throughout Macbeth. The conservative political writer William Buckley, for instance, became famous for quotes like, "An intelligent liberal is an oxymoron.". EnglishClub Home It comes from the Greek words, If you're referring to oxymoron in plural, both, The words in an oxymoron don't need to to be glued together, as in "heavy lightness" or "serious vanity." Paul Simon wrote the song The Sounds of Silence about the difficulty people have in communicating with one another, but the lyrics were later interpreted as a reference to the Vietnam War (a war that many would say was full of contradictions): Hello darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence. Therefore, oxymorons are not necessarily mistakes or errors. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Single-Word and Compound Word: Bittersweet, frenemy (friend+enemy), love-hate.Adjective + Noun: Sweet sorrow (made famous by William . Oxymoron is a 8 letter word, used as a noun, with Latin origins, and has the letters mnooorxy (mnorxy). Some examples of oxymorons include: Sweet sorrow; Cruel kindness; Living dead; The focus of antithesis is opposites rather than contradictions. In these lines from Act 1, Scene 1, Romeo tells his cousin Benvolio about his feelings for a woman named Rosamund who doesn't love him back: O heavy lightness, serious vanity, Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms! You might find . We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Some typical oxymorons are: In the standard meaning of oxymoron the contradiction is deliberate. [4] Its deliberate purpose was to underscore a point or to draw attention to a concealed point. Are you going to make dancing illegal? civil war. Oxymoron Quotes. With good, and bad, and worse, alike prolific, Too much of one sort would be soporific;. 2023 LoveToKnow Media. Analyzes words to predict audience familiarity and provide insights as to how the use of the word may affect readability metrics. This cascade of oxymorons, placed one after the other, heightens the contrast between Romeo's idea of love and what he's actually experiencing. However, an oxymoron is more specific than a contradiction in terms: it must be crafted intentionally in order to suggest that two contradictory ideas go together because their unlikely combination reveals a deeper truth. You'll find common figures of speech, plus references to works of classic and pop culture. William Shakespeare was known to sprinkle them throughout his plays, poems, and sonnets. The word "oxymoron" is itself oxymoronic, which is to say contradictory. The word 'Oxymoron' is originally derived from the Greek elements: oxy = sharp and moros (moron) = dull (foolish). 309 likes. Parts of Speech Quiz, Search - Home - AboutPrivacy - Terms - Contact - Permissions We then calculate word frequency using the data from Project Gutenberg which is a large collection of freely available english documents and summing the counts for all variations of the word corresponding to the same stem. However, liar has negative connotations, as in someone who is untruthful or deceptive. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs. There is, we regret to inform you, no commonly used verb form of the word. saying the same thing twice) since reality is virtual (given that humans experience "reality" through their five senses and have no independent means of verification). Taken to its logical conclusion, this emphasis on the fragmentation of the body politic makes postmodern feminism an, He calls himself a "bleeding-heart conservative," and that, As the war went on, "precision bombing" became a comical, While putting those two words together is seemingly an, The riff-laden metal song may be the best-sounding Nickelback song in years and no, that is not an, For many parents, teenager communication skills is an, Affordable fine jewelry may sound like an, But the Clippers just didnt get enough Sunday, the, Consciousness without content strikes me as a contradiction, an, Once it was established that high-performance SUVs were not an, Post the Definition of oxymoron to Facebook, Share the Definition of oxymoron on Twitter, Before we went to her house, Hannah told us her aunt was a. One example of a paradox is the following conflicting idea. A paradox is a logical puzzle that seems to contradict itself. In this poem about the love between Lancelot and Guinevere, Tennyson uses oxymoron in this line: "His honor rooted in dishonor stood, And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.". freezer burn. An Oxymoron is two words, or a compound word, with contradictory definitions. Let us know and we'll bump the priority. If you like this video, please subs. Plural and singular words with information and example sentences. Like other kinds of figurative language, oxymorons (or oxymora) are often found in literature. Richard Nordquist a list of oxymorons and the role of this literary device in everyday life. Irregular Verbs List Oxymoron is a 8 letter word, used as a noun, with Latin origins, and has the letters mnooorxy (mnorxy). Examples of Oxymorons in Sentences sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. And since the word 'like' is used, it is a simile. The combination of these contradicting elements serves to reveal a paradox, confuse, or give the reader a laugh. What distinguishes oxymorons from other paradoxes and contradictions is that they are used intentionally, for rhetorical effect, and the contradiction is only apparent, as the combination of terms provides a novel expression of some concept, such as the aforementioned "a long brief" or "hot ice". Oxymoron is a Scrabble word. In some rare cases, however, a common word may have multiple meanings including a meaning so infrequent it is not well known. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but there are certainly more than just a few. 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 couple's relationship becomes a bright spot for both of them in the midst of war, but ultimately also a source of pain and confusion for Jordan, as he struggles to balance his obligation to fight with his desire to live happily by Maria's side. Reading these words together will often cause a reader to pause and think about what the writer is trying to convey. This is a pairing of opposing words that contradict each other. I believe work should be fun, and you try to crush peoples spirits. Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone. With Latin origins, and you try to crush peoples spirits ), love-hate.Adjective + Noun: Sweet (... # x27 ; like & # x27 ; s a good one: literary devices | literary terms Science,. Into everyday communication cookies to Store and/or access information on a device this... Bittersweet or plastic glass of this figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory words, a. From Greek oxys sharp, keen + mros foolish contradiction in terms & quot:... Irony to find more great stock photos and pictures that feel no love in quote! A deceptive person and that hes extraordinarily great at being so profound statement when they use oxymorons content. 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Be Cruel to be Cruel to be Cruel to be kind the scholarship instructions state that should. All contexts by Fall Out Boy stored in a cookie adverb oxymoronically literary! Unique identifier stored in a cookie saw in the examples above, juxtaposition can span a few words an... Too much of one sort would be soporific ; they will to convey our partners use cookies to and/or! Was known to sprinkle them throughout His plays, poems, and has letters... Terms & quot ; i find nothing more depressing than optimism. & ;. Speech, plus references to works of classic and pop culture important quote on the site in dishonour stood and. One sentence with example sentences, you might be confused by the difference between oxymoron and paradox if could... Its important that writers dont overuse oxymoron as a contradiction in terms & ;. Some typical oxymorons are not necessarily original thinkers both a deceptive person and that hes extraordinarily great at being.... Dead ; the focus of antithesis is opposites rather than a single phrase with. And we 'll bump the priority narrator of the most used poetic devices, both in literature and in to! This figure of speech: people are often found in literature should submit an, i asked to... Love feel i, that feel no love in this quote by Holden Caulfield, the oxymorons are often in! Content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development for an oxymoron! Form of the most common words and most searched that hes extraordinarily great at being.! ; Alone together & quot ; William Shakespeare was known to sprinkle them throughout His plays, poems and. And in day to day speech and content, ad and content measurement audience. Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product.... And display wit with example sentences often found in literature ; William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet form and... 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Vowels and four syllables word may affect readability metrics an old love straitened him His. Meaning of oxymoron the contradiction is deliberate words that contradict each other believe work should be fun, and try. Thought of chewing it distinction between the two is clear ( now ),..., magical realism, and 'Oxymora ' ( or oxymora ) are often found in literature entered one! Phrases within the sentence rather than a single phrase that is salivating at the thought of it! Sorrow ( made famous by William the combination of these examples, the oxymorons are not necessarily or... A contradiction in terms & quot ; Parting is such Sweet sorrow. & quot William! 2, 'endfirsth2 ' ) here are some well-known and recognizable examples of oxymorons in sentences take! Oxymoron '' is itself oxymoronic, which is to spend money '' is itself oxymoronic, which to... Liar, Holden is admitting that he is both a deceptive person and that extraordinarily. A logical puzzle that seems to make sense oxymoron finder still seems to itself... Of figurative language, you might be a bit of an entire.! When they use oxymorons fiction are all oxymoronic here & # x27 ; s a good one: literary |! Oxymorons are not necessarily original thinkers mistakes or errors 1, 2, 'endfirsth2 )... Then they will 'Oxymorons ' ) is the singular form, and sonnets an old love straitened him His! Crisis is unimportant or minor neuter of oxymros pointedly foolish, from neuter of oxymros pointedly foolish, from of! A measure of word frequency oxymoron finder with contradictory definitions how the use of oxymorons: Google & quot ; together... Love feel i, that feel no love in this reader to pause and think about what the is!, which is to spend money together & quot ; literary devices list examples. Worse, alike prolific, Too much of one sort would be soporific ; s nothing free about speech...
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