| 'Oxymoron' as defined in the Dictionary |
|
3 entries found for oxymoron
oxymoron [(ok-see- mawr -on)]
n. pl. ox·y·mo·ra (-môr-,
-mor-a) or ox·y·mo·rons
A rhetorical device in which two seemingly contradictory words are used together for effect: “She is just a poor little rich girl.”
A rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are combined, as in a deafening silence and a mournful optimist.
[Greek oxumoron,
from neuter of oxumoros,
pointedly foolish
: oxus, sharp; see oxygen + moros, foolish, dull.]
ox-y·mo·ron-ic (-mo-ron-ik) adj.
ox-y·mo·ron-i·cal·ly adv.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
oxymoron
\Ox`y*mo"ron\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ???, fr. ??? pointedly foolish; ??? sharp + ??? foolish.] (Rhet.) A figure in which an epithet of a contrary signification is added to a word; e. g., cruel kindness; laborious idleness.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
oxymoron
n : conjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence')
Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University
| 