Oxymoron

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/

Definitions

1. a figure combining opposite notions for striking effect
2. A phrase or expression that combines contradictory or opposing ideas to highlight a contrast
3. A term formed by joining two words with conflicting or contradictory meanings to create a striking effect

Etymology: The word is a self-demonstrating joke: its Greek parts, "oxys" meaning "sharp, keen, pointed" and "moros" meaning "dull, stupid, foolish", combine into a phrase that contradicts itself. Ancient Greek writers used the adjective "oxymōros" to describe such clashing pairings, and the Latin "oxymōrum" carried the idea forward, though the compound was not found in the surviving Greek sources in its noun form. English took the noun in the 17th century. The Greek "moros" is also the source of English "moron", so the same root that gives us a clumsy insult sits inside a word for clever paradox. Readers may also recognise "oxy-" from "oxygen", which is an unrelated coinage built on the same "sharp" element.

Synonyms: contradiction, paradox