100 Awfully Good Examples of Oxymorons

100 Awfully Good Examples of Oxymorons An oxymoron  is a figure of speech, usually one or two words in which  seemingly  contradictory terms appear side by side. This contradiction is also known as a  paradox. Writers and poets have used it for centuries as a literary device to describe lifes inherent conflicts and incongruities. In speech, oxymorons can lend a sense of humor, irony, or sarcasm. Using Oxymorons The word oxymoron is itself oxymoronic, which is to say contradictory. The word is derived from two ancient Greek words oxys, which means sharp, and moronos, which means dull or stupid. Take this sentence, for example: This was a minor crisis and the only choice was to drop the product line. There are two oxymorons in this sentence: minor crisis and only choice. If youre learning English as a second language, you might be confused by these figures of speech. Read literally, they contradict themselves.  A crisis is defined as a time of serious difficulty or importance. By that measure, no crisis is unimportant or minor. Similarly, choice implies more than one option, which is contradicted by only, which implies the opposite. But once you become fluent in English, its easy to recognize such oxymorons for the figures of speech that they are. As the textbook author Richard Watson Todd said, The true beauty of oxymorons is that, unless we sit back and really think, we happily accept them as normal  English. Oxymorons have been used since the days of the ancient Greek poets, and William Shakespeare sprinkled them throughout his plays, poems, and sonnets. Oxymorons also feature in modern comedy and politics. The conservative political writer William Buckley, for instance, became famous for quotes like an intelligent liberal is an oxymoron. 100 Examples of Oxymorons Like other kinds of figurative language, oxymorons (or oxymora) are often found in literature. As shown by this list of 100 awfully good examples, oxymorons are also part of our everyday speech. Youll find common figures of speech, plus references to works of classic and pop culture. absent presence (from Astrophil and Stella by Sir Philip Sidney)alone togetherawful goodbeggarly riches (from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions by John Donne)bittersweetbrisk vacancy (from Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror by John Ashbery)cheerful pessimistcivil warclearly misunderstoodcomfortable misery (from One Door Away From Heaven by Dean Koontz)conspicuous absencecool passioncrash landingcruel kindnessdarkness visible (from Paradise Lost by John Milton)deafening silencedeceptively honestdefinite maybedeliberate speeddevout atheistdull roareloquent silenceeven oddsexact estimateextinct lifefalsely true (from Lancelot and Elaine by Lord Tennyson)festive tranquilityfound missingfreezer burnfriendly takeovergenuine imitationgood griefgrowing smallerguest hosthistorical presenthumane slaughtericy hotidiot savantill healthimpossible solutionintense apathyjoyful sadnessjumbo shrimplarger halflascivious grace (from Sonnet 40 by William Shakespeare)lead balloonliquid marble (from Poetast er by Ben Jonson) living deadliving endliving sacrificesloosely sealedloud whisperloyal oppositionmagic realismmelancholy merriment (from Don Juan by Lord Byron)militant pacifistminor miraclenegative growthnegative incomeold newsone-man bandonly choiceopenly deceptiveopen secretoriginal copyoverbearingly modestpaper tableclothpaper towelpeaceful conquestplastic glassesplastic silverwarepoor healthpretty uglyproperly ridiculousrandom orderrecorded liveresident aliensad smilesame differencescalding coolness (from For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway)seriously funnyshrewd dumbnesssilent screamsmall crowdsoft rockThe Sound of Silence (song by Paul Simon)static flowsteel woolstudent teachersweet sorrow (from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare)terribly goodtheoretical experiencetransparent night (from When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d by Walt Whitman)true fictionTrue Lies (movie directed by James Cameron)unbiased opinionunconscious awarenessupward fallwise foolworking vacation 1:15 5 Common Figures of Speech Explained