What is an example of oxymoron?

An oxymoron is a self-contradicting word or group of words (as in Shakespeare's line from Romeo and Juliet, "Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!"). A paradox is a statement or argument that seems to be contradictory or to go against common sense, but that is yet perhaps still true—for example, "less is more."

What is oxymoron give 5 examples?

Oxymorons like “seriously funny,” “original copy,” “plastic glasses,” and “clearly confused” juxtapose opposing words next to one another, but their ability to make sense despite their opposing forces adds wit to writing.

What is oxymoron give 2 examples?

Matt Ellis. Updated on June 2, 2022 · Students · Writing Tips. An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory words with opposing meanings, like “old news,” “deafening silence,” or “organized chaos.” Oxymorons may seem illogical at first, but in context they usually make sense.

What is an example of oxymoron in a sentence?

This is another fine mess you have got us into. There is a real love hate relationship developing between the two of them. Suddenly the room filled with a deafening silence.

What are some good oxymorons?

What is an oxymoron? Definition and 20 funny examples!

Is blind eye an oxymoron?

No, the phrase “blindingly obvious” isn't an oxymoron, a combination of contradictory or incongruous words. The word “blindingly” is being used here, as you suspect, as an intensifier.

Is homework an oxymoron?

Homework is an oxymoron. Home and work are two separate places.

Is Big Baby an oxymoron?

1. Big baby. This is an oxymoron because all babies are small. The word 'big' is added to emphasise the fact that someone is acting more childishly than you would expect.

What is an example of oxymoron in poetry?

Other oxymoron examples in literature include the following passages. “Down the close darkening lanes they sang their way to the siding-shed, And lined the train with faces grimly gay.” Wilfred Owen, “The Send-Off” “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.

How do you identify an oxymoron?

You can recognize an oxymoron by looking for phrases where two words are used together that logically should not. A few more common examples are: virtual reality, random order, noticeably absent, sweet agony, open secret and awfully good.

Is Giant shrimp an oxymoron?

An oxymoron is a phrase of two words which are opposite. So in your example, jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron because shrimp are small no matter what. Other examples can be honest thief , act naturally, and deafening silence.

What is an oxymoron in Romeo and Juliet?

Juliet knows that Romeo's life is in danger if he stays, but mourns the thought of him leaving. “Kill thee with much cherishing” indicates that her love will end with his death, and “sweet sorrow” is an oxymoron describing a lovely sadness.

Is sweet pain an oxymoron?

Thus, an oxymoron might be a configuration of words that expresses a paradox, but the oxymoron is not, itself, the paradox. An example might help: the oxymoron "sweet sorrow" speaks to the paradox that love and pain can go together, but the oxymoron is not, in and of itself, the paradox that it expresses.

Is terribly good an oxymoron?

If you stop to think about it, two of our more common oxymorons are “terribly nice” and “awfully good.” Never use “awfully good” when praising someone's cooking, and never use “terribly nice” to describe a kiss.

Is painfully beautiful an oxymoron?

The oxymoron “painfully beautiful” gives a more dramatic effect and calls the attention of the reader. The use of two conflicting concepts to describe something challenges us to think more, rather than just accepting the expected phrase.

Is cold fire an oxymoron?

Shakespeare often used oxymorons like “loving hate” and “cold fire” to express confused emotion.

Is wintry sun an oxymoron?

For example, “wintery sun” and “frost, fiery sleep-head.” Oxymoron: there is a great example of an oxymoron in stanza four of 'Winter-Time. ' In these lines, the poet describes the cold wind “burn” his face.

What is a oxymoron in literature?

As this origin suggests, oxymoron is itself an oxymoron; it is a rhetorical term that describes words or phrases that, when placed together, create paradoxes or contradictions. These contradictions seem foolish but, when we think about them a bit, often turn out to be sharp observations about our world.

Is dry ice an oxymoron?

Dry ice is a useful tool for a wide variety of situations. When you really think about it, the concept of dry ice should be an oxymoron. The most common form of ice that we usually see on a daily basis is made from water, which of course is quite wet to the touch and turns back into water once it melts.

Is no choice an oxymoron?

There is an oxymoron here. A choice presupposes two or more possibilities. It doesn't make sense to say that you are choosing between one action and itself. I have no option but to call her.

Is adult child an oxymoron?

For those unfamiliar with the word, oxymoron: it means an expression with contradictory words—for example, jumbo shrimp. The words are oddly paradoxical, yet the pairing exists and even makes sense (though not semantically). Thus, your adult child is not an oxymoron.

Is civil war an oxymoron?

The term “civil war” can be considered oxymoronic only for certain definitions of “civil.” In Webster's, they are the third one — “cultured; civilized” — and the fourth — “polite or courteous, especially in a merely formal way.”

Is Alone together an oxymoron?

You might want to know more about the literary device used: oxymoron. According to this link, the oxymoron "alone together" (or in your question, "together, alone") is common.

Is Uninvited Guest an oxymoron?

The word oxymoron is of Greek origin. It combines the word oxy (=sharp) and moron (=dull, stupid, foolish). Thus, oxymoron not only names a contradiction in terms, it is an oxymoron as well. Oxymorons may be used for achieving rhetorical effects, as in working vacation and uninvited guest.