oxymoron en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- äk-sē-môrʹ-än (US)
- /ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/ (UK)
- /ɑksɪˈmɔɹɑn/ (US)
- (Australia) audio
- /ˌɑksiˈmɔɹɑn/ (US)
- äk-sĭ-môrʹ-än (US)
Etymology
First attested in the 17th century, noun use of 5th century Latin oxymōrum (adjective), neut. nom. form of oxymōrus (adjective), from Ancient Greek ὀξύμωρος (oxúmōros), compound of ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp, keen, pointed”) (English oxy-, as in oxygen) + μωρός (mōrós, “dull, stupid, foolish”) (English moron (“stupid person”)). Literally "sharp-dull", "keen-stupid", or "pointed-foolish" – itself an oxymoron, hence autological; compare sophomore (literally “wise fool”), influenced by similar analysis. The compound form ὀξύμωρον (oxúmōron) is not found in the extant Ancient Greek sources.
Meanings
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(rhetoric) A figure of speech in which two words or phrases with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
For Theodor Adorno and his colleagues at the Frankfurt School who coined the term, "culture industry" was an oxymoron, intended to set up a critical contrast between the exploitative, repetitive mode of industrial mass production under capitalism and the associations of transformative power and aesthetico-moral transcendence that the concept of culture carried in the 1940s, when it still meant "high" culture.
1996, John Sinclair, “Culture and Trade: Some Theoretical and Practical Considerations”, in Emile G. McAnany, Kenton T. Wilkinson, editors, Mass Media and Free Trade: NAFTA and the Cultural Industries, University of Texas Press:In Oxymoron jarring phrases join And terms opposed in harmony combine.
1835, L[arret] Langley, “[Rhetorical Figures.] Oxymoron.”, in A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster, South Yorkshire: […] C. White, […], →OCLC, page 35:
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(broadly, proscribed, sometimes) A contradiction in terms.
During the past few years, some 200 class-action suits have been filed against food manufacturers, charging them with misuse of the adjective in marketing such edible oxymorons as “natural” Cheetos Puffs, “all-natural” Sun Chips, “all-natural” Naked Juice, “100 percent all-natural” Tyson chicken nuggets and so forth.
2015 April 28, Michael Pollan, “Why ‘Natural’ Doesn’t Mean Anything Anymore”, in The New York Times Magazine:“Stable inflation is an oxymoron because it means it’s not stable,” Shelton told CNN in a recent interview.
2024 October 31, Matt Egan, “Trump’s former pick to join the Federal Reserve has proposed a radical solution to solve inflation”, in CNN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| oxymorons | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| oxymora | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
oxymoronic · oxymoronicness · oxymoronicity · oxymoronically
Relateds
contranym · moron · paroxysm · oxy- · sophomore · oxalic · paradox
Translations (49)
cmn 矛盾修飾法 /矛盾修饰法 (figure of speech) · ru окси́морон (figure of speech) · el οξύμωρο σχήμα (figure of speech) · sv oxymoron (figure of speech) · pl antylogia (figure of speech) · eo oksimoro (figure of speech) · hu oximoron (figure of speech) · fi oksymoron (figure of speech) · mi kīpeha tauaro (figure of speech) · ro oximoron (figure of speech) · hy օքսիմորոն (figure of speech) · mk оксиморон (figure of speech) · th ปฏิพจน์ (figure of speech) · la oxymorum (figure of speech) · fr oxymoron (figure of speech) · ca oxímoron (figure of speech) · pl oksymoron (figure of speech) · sv självmotsägelse (figure of speech) · tl kulanglabis (figure of speech) · et oksüümoron (figure of speech) · tr oksimoron (figure of speech) · ko 모순어법 (figure of speech) · is refhvörf (figure of speech) · cs oxymóron (figure of speech) · ru оксю́морон (figure of speech) · lt oksimoronas (figure of speech) · es oxímoron (figure of speech) · ja 矛盾語法 (figure of speech) · be аксі́маран (figure of speech) · uk окси́морон (figure of speech) · pt oximoro (figure of speech) · de Oxymoron (figure of speech) · it ossimoro (figure of speech) · cmn 矛盾語 /矛盾语 (figure of speech) · sl bistroumni nesmisel (figure of speech) · fr oxymore (figure of speech) · grc ὀξύμωρον (figure of speech) · sl oksimoron (figure of speech) · sk oxymoron (figure of speech) · be аксю́маран (figure of speech) · ka ოქსიმორონი (figure of speech) · pt oxímoro (figure of speech) · hy նրբաբանություն (figure of speech) · tl pagtatambis (figure of speech) · sh oksimoron (figure of speech) · ja 撞着語法 (figure of speech) · sh оксиморон (figure of speech) · bg окси́морон (figure of speech) · sq oksimoron (figure of speech)