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