Standard Lemma guide

oxymoron

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ɒksɪˈmɔːɹɒn/
  • US: äk-sē-môrʹ-än
  • US: äk-sĭ-môrʹ-än
  • US: /ˌɑksiˈmɔɹɑn/
  • US: /ɑksɪˈmɔɹɑn/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AA2 K S IY1 M AO1 R AA0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A figure of speech in which two words or phrases with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rhetoric

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A contradiction in terms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, proscribed, sometimes

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

conjoining contradictory terms (as in `deafening silence')

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: trope, figure of speech, figure, image

History

Etymology

First attested in the 17th century, noun use of 5th century Latin oxymōrum (adjective), neut. nom. form of oxymōrus (adjective), from Ancient Greek ὀξύμωρος (oxúmōros), compound of ὀξύς (oxús, “sharp, keen, pointed”) (English oxy-, as in oxygen) + μωρός (mōrós, “dull, stupid, foolish”) (English moron (“stupid person”)). Literally "sharp-dull", "keen-stupid", or "pointed-foolish" – itself an oxymoron, hence autological; compare sophomore (literally “wise fool”), influenced by similar analysis. The compound form ὀξύμωρον (oxúmōron) is not found in the extant Ancient Greek sources.

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: oksimoron — figure of speech
  • Armenian: նրբաբանություն (nrbabanutʻyun) — figure of speech
  • Armenian: օքսիմորոն (ōkʻsimoron) — figure of speech
  • Belarusian: аксю́маран (aksjúmaran) — figure of speech
  • Belarusian: аксі́маран (aksímaran) — figure of speech
  • Bulgarian: окси́морон (oksímoron) — figure of speech
  • Catalan: oxímoron — figure of speech
  • Chinese Mandarin: 矛盾修飾法 /矛盾修饰法 (máodùn xiūshìfǎ) — figure of speech
  • Chinese Mandarin: 矛盾語 /矛盾语 (máodùnyǔ) — figure of speech
  • Czech: oxymóron — figure of speech
  • Esperanto: oksimoro — figure of speech
  • Estonian: oksüümoron — figure of speech
  • Finnish: oksymoron — figure of speech
  • French: oxymore — figure of speech
  • French: oxymoron — figure of speech
  • Georgian: ოქსიმორონი (oksimoroni) — figure of speech
  • German: Oxymoron — figure of speech
  • Greek: οξύμωρο σχήμα (oxýmoro schíma) — figure of speech
  • Ancient Greek: ὀξύμωρον (oxúmōron) — figure of speech
  • Hungarian: oximoron — figure of speech
  • Icelandic: refhvörf — figure of speech
  • Italian: ossimoro — figure of speech
  • Japanese: 撞着語法 (dōchaku gohō) — figure of speech
  • Japanese: 矛盾語法 (mujun gohō) — figure of speech
  • Korean: 모순어법 (mosuneobeop) — figure of speech
  • Latin: oxymorum — figure of speech
  • Lithuanian: oksimoronas — figure of speech
  • Macedonian: оксиморон (oksimoron) — figure of speech
  • Māori: kīpeha tauaro — figure of speech
  • Polish: oksymoron — figure of speech
  • Polish: antylogia — figure of speech
  • Portuguese: oxímoro — figure of speech
  • Portuguese: oximoro — figure of speech
  • Romanian: oximoron — figure of speech
  • Russian: окси́морон (oksímoron) — figure of speech
  • Russian: оксю́морон (oksjúmoron) — figure of speech
  • Serbo-Croatian: оксиморон — figure of speech
  • Serbo-Croatian: oksimoron — figure of speech
  • Slovak: oxymoron — figure of speech
  • Slovene: oksimoron — figure of speech
  • Slovene: bistroumni nesmisel — figure of speech
  • Spanish: oxímoron — figure of speech
  • Swedish: oxymoron — figure of speech
  • Swedish: självmotsägelse — figure of speech
  • Tagalog: kulanglabis — figure of speech
  • Tagalog: pagtatambis — figure of speech
  • Thai: ปฏิพจน์ (bpà-dtì-pót) — figure of speech
  • Turkish: oksimoron — figure of speech
  • Ukrainian: окси́морон (oksýmoron) — figure of speech