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oxymoron

Syllabification: (ox·y·mo·ron)
Pronunciation: /ˌäksəˈmôrˌän/
Definition of oxymoron

noun

  • a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., faith unfaithful kept him falsely true).

Derivatives

oxymoronic

Pronunciation: /-məˈränik/
adjective

Origin:

mid 17th century: from Greek oxumōron, neuter (used as a noun) of oxumōros 'pointedly foolish', from oxus 'sharp' + mōros 'foolish'

oxymoron in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of oxymoron in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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