An oxymoron uses two contrasting words, but they . Oxymorons are similar to such other devices as paradox and antithesis and are often used in poetry and other literature. Oxymoron is a figure of speech pairing two words together that are opposing and/or contradictory. Who are you? That's what I did just now. It's also helpful to understand the relationship between oxymoron and paradox. The sequence of oxymorons in this example (honour/dishonour, "faith unfaithful," "falsely true") emphasizes the contrast between Lancelot's "faithful" love for Guinevere, and the fact that his relationship with Guinevere makes them both unfaithful to Arthur. Oxymoron is often confused with other related terms, such as "contradiction in terms," "paradox," and "antonym." To sum up, an oxymoron is not simply a contradiction in terms. Listening The most recognizable oxymorons are adjective-noun pairs, as in the phrase "proud humility." Variety is the spice of life. Bringing them together into one phrase can produce a verbally puzzling, yet engaging, effect. Oxymoron is also a literary device, but is considered a condensed paradox. The album's recording took place from June 2012 through 2013. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Or polite meaningless words, Or have lingered awhile and said. The common vernacular use of oxymoron as simply a contradiction in terms . Together, these words indicate that Holden takes pride in how adept he is at lyinga behavior that is generally associated with indignity. Parts of Speech Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Oxymorons can enhance the drama in a text. Instead, they want to be witty and show they can use words to make people laugh. Find scrabble words by points! The scholarship instructions state that I should submit an, I asked Steve to go to the dance with me. Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone. "a long brief" or "hot ice". Searching "two syllable words with qu in the middle", "ab in the center",etc. Oxymoron brings two words with contradictory meanings together, the end result of which is a phrase that is inadvertently funny (in most cases). Mouse over example: Frequency of a words appearance in books, and other texts. 5th grade. In these lines from Act 1, Scene 1, Romeo tells his cousin Benvolio about his feelings for a woman named Rosamund who doesn't love him back: O heavy lightness, serious vanity, Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms! This first example is from the play's opening scene and it is part of a charm chanted by witches: Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air. This means that oxymoron is a figure of speech that includes just a couple of contradictory words that are paired together rather than a full statement of ideas. The English word oxymoron comes from the Greek words "oxy," meaning sharp or keen, and "moros," meaning foolish. Oxymoron is a 8 letter word, used as a noun, with Latin origins, and has the letters mnooorxy (mnorxy). 100 Awfully Good Examples of Oxymorons. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. This contradiction is also known as a paradox. Different results appear for sounds and rhymes. One example of this is when Oscar Wilde comically reflected on the fact that he "can resist anything, except temptation.". I have passed with a nod of the head. As a literary device, oxymoron has the effect of creating an impression, enhancing a concept, and even entertaining the reader. In an oxymoron, the words themselves have a shade of contradiction in their definitions. Nordquist, Richard. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. I believe work should be fun, and you try to crush peoples spirits. The couple's relationship becomes a bright spot for both of them in the midst of war, but ultimately also a source of pain and confusion for Jordan, as he struggles to balance his obligation to fight with his desire to live happily by Maria's side. Reading these words together will often cause a reader to pause and think about what the writer is trying to convey. Here are instances in which its effective to use oxymoron in writing: Since most people dont use oxymoron very often when speaking, it does take linguistic skill to create one that is successful. This device is often used for emphasis, for humor, to create tension, or to illustrate a paradox (see next entry for more information on paradoxes). Juxtaposition is designed to compare or contrast, while oxymorons are a type of word play that either create a new phrase or emphasize a point using two elements. 939 87 Delivered to your inbox! An Oxymoron is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words, such as 'Cruel Kindness' or 'Jumbo Shrimp' Instead, it takes linguistic skill in knowing which words, though opposing, will work together to have an effect on the reader. Here is a comprehensive list of 64 examples of oxymorons in sentences. How to use oxymoron in a sentence. The conservative political writer William Buckley, for instance, became famous for quotes like, "An intelligent liberal is an oxymoron.". 12. Oxymoron is a Scrabble word. What is an oxymoron? ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. What Is the Figure of Speech Antiphrasis? May they inspire you through all your writing adventures. Grammar Accidental oxymorons can make authors look foolish, but they rarely happen by chance, so oxymoronic terms are mostly good for evocative writing and as a useful detection system for clichd writing. Therefore, oxymorons are not necessarily mistakes or errors. A general meaning of "contradiction in terms" is recorded by the 1902 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. As the example's author, Richard Watson Todd, said, "The true beauty of oxymorons is that, unless we sit back and really think, we happily accept them as normalEnglish. Take this sentence, for example: There are two oxymorons in this sentence: "minor crisis" and "only choice." genuine imitation. Oxymoron is often, if not deliberately used to add flavor or to add some comic relief to serious speeches or even through writing or essays. Also, this oxymoron is ironic in the context of a poem in which a funeral is the subject. Review the example sentences below to get a better sense of how oxymorons can be used in sentences and dialogue. These phrases combine to create a whole new concept. In this poem, Lord Byron uses the oxymoron melancholy merriment to describe the feelings and connections between sadness and joy. However, a bone may seem juicy to a dog that is salivating at the thought of chewing it. The analyzer then shows synonyms and related words your audience may be more familiar with. A true oxymoron must be deliberately crafted in advance, with the goal of creating a rhetorical effect or revealing a deeper figurative meaning. 309 likes. However, an oxymoron is more specific than a contradiction in terms: it must be crafted intentionally in order to suggest that two contradictory ideas go together because their unlikely combination reveals a deeper truth. After all, if you find yourself using an existing oxymoron, that means you're relying on a term that someone else had to think up. Here are some examples of oxymoron phrases in well-known literary works, along with how they add to interpretation: Good night, good night! a deafening silence. "All your perfect imperfections " - from All of Me by John Legend. It presents one thing as another completely different thing so as to draw a powerful comparison of images. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Oxymorons are extremely useful in written English because they can make effective titles, add dramatic effect, add flavor to speech, and can sometimes be used to achieve a comedic effect. Oxymoron Example 2. jumbo . 3. Some people mistake pairs of antonyms for oxymorons, but they are not the same. While an oxymoron is a figure of speech that pairs two opposing words. [Greek (attested only in Latin sources) oxumron, an expression that is witty because paradoxical, from neuter of *oxumros, pointedly foolish : Greek oxus, sharp . The distinction between the two is clear (now). When someone says a phrase such as "clearly confused," the speaker is finding a new way to describe that individual or object. Here are some common oxymorons, some of which refer to classic and pop-culture works: Alone together; A good example of an oxymoron is the sound of silence. Romeo and Juliet come from . For some of these examples, the oxymorons are linked to two phrases within the sentence rather than a single phrase. The Word Analyzer provides meta information about a given word, such audience familiarity, to get you insight into how use of the word may affect readability metrics. The following example is from Alexander Pope's poem, "Essay on Criticism": The bookful blockhead ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his head, With his own tongue still edifies his ears, And always listning to himself appears. ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/awfully-good-examples-of-oxymorons-1691814. He gave me a. However, liar has negative connotations, as in someone who is untruthful or deceptive. Oxymoronically is the adverbial form of the word. A common oxymoron is the phrase "the same difference." One example of a skillful oxymoron isreal fake. Allscrabblewords.com is not affiliated with SCRABBLE, Mattel, Spear, Hasbro, Zynga, or the Words with Friends games in any way. An oxymoron is a phrase that sounds as if it is contradictory. As well as playing with oxymorons, Oscar Wilde was also a master of symbolism. Oxymoron can enhance drama in writing. Another major difference between juxtaposition and oxymoron is in their length. With good, and bad, and worse, alike prolific, Too much of one sort would be soporific;. He enjoyed writing things that weren't meant to be taken literally, simply pondered upon. JOIN - Add Link - Add School - Add Post The Readability Analyzer can analyze a passage of text and tell you the relative ease in which an entire passage of text can be read and understood by others. Interested in readability? Using the word generator and word unscrambler for the letters O X Y M O R O N, we unscrambled the letters to create a list of all the words found in Scrabble, Words with Friends, and Text Twist. Seriously funny Same difference Jumbo shrimp Rolling stop. In speech, oxymorons can lend a sense of humor, irony, or sarcasm. Feb 2. Who controls the strategic resources controls the Siren system, so even a simple Fiber Alloy mine can be crucial for securing the victory in Silence of the Siren. Main Page | Publishing Principles | Prefix & Suffix Chart | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Service | About Me | Contact. Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone. If one or more words can be unscrambled with all the letters entered plus one new letter, then they will also be displayed. There is, we regret to inform you, no commonly used verb form of the word. There are 92 synonyms available. Their dramatic effect is much more powerful with sparing use. Words that really are opposite to . If Holdens claim is that he is wonderful at being an untruthful person, then he casts doubt as to the truth of his own statement to the reader about being a terrific liar as well. The contradiction contained within the oxymoron "scalding coolness" emphasizes the couple's conflicting emotions and impossible situation. Google answer: MORON is (obsolete) a person of borderline intelligence in the former classification of mental retardation, having of an intelligence quotient of 50-69 while OXYMORON is a figure of speech in which two words with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect. Is this the tiny town from Footloose? O loving hate!"). (n.). They have an inverted moral code that values "the foul" and dislikes "the fair." Are you interested in learning Japanese while improving your English with You Go Words!? A paradox is a concept that is simultaneously counterintuitive and truthful or revealing. A paradox is a rhetorical device or a self-contradictory statement that can actually be true. insertListLink('', 1, 2, 'endfirsth2'). To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. An oxymoron combines two contradictory words to give them a deeper and more poetic meaning. Paired together, however, they create a deeper meaning. Nordquist, Richard. (2021, February 16). Show with prefix and suffix options, only if it has a root word. Oxymorons can add color, humor, and meaning to language in all sorts of ways. 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