Oxymoron — Definition and Examples
What is an oxymoron?
An oxymoron is a figure of speech created by combining two contradictory terms to present logically accurate ideas, such as "larger half". Oxymorons typically serve to emphasize conflict or contradictions, create humor or satire, and accentuate characteristics.
Emphasize Conflict/Contradiction: Writers make use of oxymorons as a rhetorical device to present conflicting ideas and add dramatic effect. They demonstrate the friction that exists between two opposite words.
"Fiend angelic": In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Juliet uses several oxymorons, including "fiend angelic," after hearing that Romeo has killed her cousin, Tybalt. The oxymorons highlight Juliet's conflicting thoughts regarding Romeo; she loves him yet finds him wicked due to his murderous actions.
Humor/Satire: When writers use oxymorons sarcastically, they create rhetorical oxymorons. Ultimately, these word combinations have a humorous effect. Typically, the literal meanings of the words in a rhetorical oxymoron are not contradictory; instead, they contrast figuratively.
Good morning: "Morning" often carries a negative connotation since not everyone feels refreshed and full of energy upon waking up. Therefore, combining the negative connotation of the word "morning" with "good" makes the phrase oxymoronic.
Airline food: People typically criticize the meals provided by airlines for not being of the highest quality. Presenting the phrase "airline food" as an oxymoron suggests the meal provided on a plane is the opposite of food.
Accentuate Characteristics: When juxtaposing two contradictory words, the characteristics of the words intensify.
Bittersweet: Using an oxymoron like bittersweet, instead of synonymous words such as sentimental or sorrowful, intensifies the emotion. Combining both bitter and sweet is a description that carries positive and negative characteristics.
The English word oxymoron comes from the Greek words “oxy,” meaning sharp or keen, and “moros,” meaning foolish.
Oxymoron examples
The following list contains well-known examples of oxymorons:
alone together
civil war
clearly misunderstood
deafening silence
found missing
freezer burn
genuine imitation
intense apathy
jumbo shrimp
larger half
original copy
random order
small crowd
unbiased opinion
virtual reality
Oxymoron in literature
The following literary works contain examples of oxymorons:
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare:
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, / Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! / This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte:
And now it is deluged with a nectarous flood--the young germs swamped--delicious poison cankering them.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London:
With the aurora borealis flaming coldly overhead, or the stars leaping in the frost dance, and the land numb and frozen under its pall of snow, this song of the huskies might have been the defiance of life…
Oxymoron in poetry
Poets tend to use oxymorons more than novelists, as the device allows poets to use fewer words to say more, as is evidenced in the following examples:
"Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas:
...who see with blinding sight / And you, my father, there on the sad height / Curse, bless, me now...
"A Prayer for my Daughter" by William Butler Yeats:
Imagining in excited reverie / That the future years had come, / Dancing to a frenzied drum, / Out of the murderous innocence of the sea.
Paradise Lost by John Milton:
No light, but rather darkness visible / Served only to discover sights of woe, / Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace / And rest can never dwell, hope never comes.