Oxymoron
WordNet
noun
(1) Conjoining contradictory terms (as in `deafening silence')
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From 5th cen. , from + http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2374333. is not found in the extant Greek sources, according to the OED http://dictionary.oed.com.ezproxy.sfpl.org/cgi/entry/50168789.
Noun
- A figure of speech in which two words with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
- A famous example is Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 1, ll. 63-4:
- No light, but rather darkness visible
- Serv'd only to discover sights of woe
- A famous example is Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 1, ll. 63-4:
- A contradiction in terms.
- A paradoxical juxtaposition of two seemingly contradictory words.
Usage notes
- Traditionally, the word is used in cases where the contradiction is deliberate, its purpose being to emphasize or heighten a contrast. The use of as a synonym for contradiction in terms is considered incorrect by some speakers and writers, and is perhaps best avoided in certain contexts. (See the Wikipedia article.)