Oxymoronic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɒk.sɪˈmɔːɹ.ɒn.ɪk/

Definitions

1. Involving the combination of starkly opposed or mutually incompatible elements that produce an intentionally paradoxical effect
2. Characterized by the presence of contradictory terms that, when combined, evoke a strikingly paradoxical notion or concept expressed in a single phrase
3. Describes a phrase or idea that combines words with opposite meanings to create a striking paradox

Etymology: Oxymoronic is a straightforward formation: the noun "oxymoron" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ic" attached. That suffix descends from Latin "-icus", which passed through Old French and Middle English before reaching English, so the ending carries the same sense of "having the character of" that it has in words like "heroic" or "atomic". The noun it builds on is the more interesting piece. "Oxymoron" was formed from Greek roots meaning "sharp" and "dull", so the word itself is a self-contradiction, an example of the very thing it names. Ancient Greek writers used "oxymoron" to describe a figure of speech that joins opposites, and the adjective simply lets speakers describe a phrase or idea that does this.

Synonyms: paradoxical, contradictory, incongruous, illogical, absurd