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OXYMORON
OXYMORON. [From Greek oxúmōros sharp and dull. Stress: ‘awk-si-Mo-ron’]. A term in RHETORIC for bringing opposites together in a compact paradoxical word or phrase: bitter-sweet; a cheerful pessimist. The term is often used for social comment, humorously or cynically (such as in reference to military intelligence, conceived as a contradiction in terms) and dramatically, as in ‘It has become an oxymoron to speak of the Lebanese nation’ ( Jim Hoagland, The Washington Post, Apr. 1989).
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TOM McARTHUR. "OXYMORON." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. TOM McARTHUR. "OXYMORON." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-OXYMORON.html TOM McARTHUR. "OXYMORON." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-OXYMORON.html |
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oxymoron
oxymoron a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith unfaithful kept him falsely true). Recorded from the mid 17th century, the word comes from Greek oxumōron, neuter (used as a noun) of oxumōros ‘pointedly foolish’, from oxus ‘sharp’ + mōros ‘foolish’.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "oxymoron." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "oxymoron." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-oxymoron.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "oxymoron." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-oxymoron.html |
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oxymoron
ox·y·mo·ron / ˌäksəˈmôrˌän/ • n. a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., faith unfaithful kept him falsely true). DERIVATIVES: ox·y·mo·ron·ic / -məˈränik/ adj. |
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Cite this article
"oxymoron." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "oxymoron." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-oxymoron.html "oxymoron." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-oxymoron.html |
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oxymoron
oxymoron, from two Greek words meaning ‘sharp’, ‘dull’, a rhetorical figure by which two incongruous or contradictory terms are united in an expression so as to give it point; e.g. ‘Faith unfaithful kept him falsely true’ (Tennyson, Idylls of the King).
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "oxymoron." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "oxymoron." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-oxymoron.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "oxymoron." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-oxymoron.html |
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oxymoron
oxymoron (rhet.) figure in which contradictory terms are conjoined. XVII. — Gr. oxúmōron, n. sg. of oxúmoros pointedly foolish, f. oxús sharp + mōrós foolish.
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T. F. HOAD. "oxymoron." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "oxymoron." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-oxymoron.html T. F. HOAD. "oxymoron." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-oxymoron.html |
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oxymoron
oxymoron •Agamemnon, Memnon
•ninon, xenon
•noumenon • Trianon • xoanon
•organon • Simenon • Maintenon
•crampon, kampong, tampon
•Nippon • coupon
•Akron, Dacron, macron
•electron • natron • Hebron • positron
•Heilbronn • micron
•boron, moron, oxymoron
•neutron • interferon
•fleuron, Huron, neuron
•Oberon • mellotron • aileron
•cyclotron • Percheron • Mitterrand
•vigneron • croissant • Maupassant
•garçon • Cartier-Bresson • exon
•frisson • Oxon • chanson • Tucson
•soupçon • Aubusson • Besançon
•penchant • torchon • cabochon
•Anton, canton, Danton
•lepton
•piton, Teton
•krypton • feuilleton • magneton
•chiton
•photon, proton
•croûton, futon
•eschaton • peloton • contretemps
•telethon
•talkathon, walkathon
•Avon • tableau vivant • vol-au-vent
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Cite this article
"oxymoron." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "oxymoron." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-oxymoron.html "oxymoron." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-oxymoron.html |
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