oxymoron
Contradictory term combination
An oxymoron is an expression, usually consisting of two words or terms that seem to contradict each other.
Awfully good is considered an oxymoron since awful usually means terrible.
Many oxymorons that were viewed as clever when first heard eventually become clichés, such as deafening silence or icy hot.
New and original oxymorons seem memorable because they require you to combine two ideas that don’t normally go together.
Oxymoronic unattractiveness descriptor
- deafening silenceConspicuous lack of sound
- living deadCorpses somehow still animated
- bittersweetWistful yet warm
- open secretKnown fact nobody admits
minor crisis · original copy · alone together · virtual reality · definite maybe · act naturally · guest host · seriously funny
Nonliteral expressive phrase
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
- juxtapositionAdjacent contrasting placement
- contradictionOpposing claims, incompatible together
wordplay · literary device · irony · contrast · trope · chiasmus · zeugma · litotes
Amusing quality
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
- sarcasmIrony used to mock
- satireMockery exposing vice
puns · wordplay · banter · jest · quip · drollery · facetiousness · tongue-in-cheek
Lack of harmony
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- absurdityWildly illogical quality
- oppositionActive resistance or dissent
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
conflict · tension · anomaly · discrepancy · incompatibility · dichotomy · polarity · dissonance
Seemingly absurd truth
- self-refutingContradicts itself by existing
- contradiction in termsPhrase with incompatible elements
- impossibilityState of being unachievable
- fallacyError in reasoning
pretty ugly
Oxymoronic unattractiveness descriptor
- deafening silenceConspicuous lack of sound
- living deadCorpses somehow still animated
- bittersweetWistful yet warm
open secret · minor crisis · original copy · alone together · virtual reality · definite maybe · act naturally · guest host · seriously funny · cruel kindness
figure of speech
Nonliteral expressive phrase
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
- juxtapositionAdjacent contrasting placement
contradiction · wordplay · literary device · irony · contrast · trope · chiasmus · zeugma · litotes · hyperbole
humor
Amusing quality
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
- sarcasmIrony used to mock
satire · puns · wordplay · banter · jest · quip · drollery · facetiousness · tongue-in-cheek · wryness
incongruity
Lack of harmony
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- absurdityWildly illogical quality
- oppositionActive resistance or dissent
clash · conflict · tension · anomaly · discrepancy · incompatibility · dichotomy · polarity · dissonance · self-contradiction
paradox
Seemingly absurd truth
- self-refutingContradicts itself by existing
- contradiction in termsPhrase with incompatible elements
- impossibilityState of being unachievable
- semanticsmeaning, denotation, sense, connotation, reference
- literary elementsplot, character, setting, theme, narrator
- figuresfigure of speech, figure, trope, simile, metaphor
- literary analysisliterary analysis, character analysis, book review, plot, critical analysis
- literary devicesmetaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, alliteration
- literary termsmetaphor, character analysis, symbolism, prologue, epilogue
oxymoronpleonasm
Redundant expression
tautology · redundancy · repetition · synonymy · circumlocution