|
 |
 |
Oxymoron |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Info: Biography, Pictures, Discography of all CDs & DVDs |
|
| This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.This article is about the contradiction in terms.For the punk band, see Oxymoron (band).Look up oxymoron in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.An oxymoron (plural oxymorons or, more rarely (yet correctly) , oxymora) is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms.Oxymoron is a loanword from Greek oxy ("sharp") and moros ("dull").Thus the word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron.Oxymorons are a proper subset of the expressions called contradictions in terms.What distinguishes oxymorons from other paradoxes and contradictions is that they are used intentionally, for rhetorical effect, and the contradiction is only apparent, as the combination of terms provides a novel expression of some concept, such as "cruel to be kind".For example, the following line from Tennyson's Idylls of the King contains two oxymorons:
"And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true"
Oxymorons can also be wooden irons in that they are in violation of the Principle of contradiction which asserts that nothing can be thought if it contains contradictory characteristics, predicates, attributes, or qualities.Plural form
While "oxymorons" is the usual English plural, some prescriptivists prefer the classical alternative "oxymora".Popular oxymorons
In popular usage, the term oxymoron is sometimes used more loosely, in the sense of a simple contradiction in terms.Often, it is then applied to expressions which, unlike real oxymorons, are used in full earnest and without any sense of paradox by many speakers in everyday language.Calling such an expression an oxymoron is sometimes done in order to disparage its use, by drawing attention to a perceived inherent contradiction and thus claiming it to be nonsensical.Examples of expressions that are used without a sense of paradox by some but have been claimed to be "oxymorons" in this sense by critics (or by comedian George Carlin) include:
"With all deliberate speed" (i.Such designations of alleged oxymorons are often made with a humorous purpose.For instance, to claim "honest politician" is an oxymoron implies politicians are dishonest.Both the above strategies can be seen combined in an example like military intelligence.The Thrash Metal band Megadeth commented on the phrase in their highly acclaimed song, Hangar 18: "Military Intelligence, two words combined that can't make sense".Use in humor
Oxymorons are most tellingly employed in injecting a sense of ironic, ostensibly unintended, humor.The effect is to confront the reader or the listener with a sense of ludicrousness so as to render the whole sentence and the idea absurd and funny.It should be remembered that this is a purely subjective line of thinking and presupposes that the reader or listener is already familiar with the intended humor.References
Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920).This page was last modified 17:36, 8 January 2008.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.See Copyrights for details.This article is about the contradiction in terms.For the punk band, see Oxymoron (band).Look up oxymoron in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.An oxymoron (plural oxymorons or, more rarely (yet correctly) , oxymora) is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms.Oxymoron is a loanword from Greek oxy ("sharp") and moros ("dull").Thus the word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron.Oxymorons are a proper subset of the expressions called contradictions in terms.What distinguishes oxymorons from other paradoxes and contradictions is that they are used intentionally, for rhetorical effect, and the contradiction is only apparent, as the combination of terms provides a novel expression of some concept, such as "cruel to be kind".For example, the following line from Tennyson's Idylls of the King contains two oxymorons:
"And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true"
Oxymorons can also be wooden irons in that they are in violation of the Principle of contradiction which asserts that nothing can be thought if it contains contradictory characteristics, predicates, attributes, or qualities.Plural form
While "oxymorons" is the usual English plural, some prescriptivists prefer the classical alternative "oxymora".Popular oxymorons
In popular usage, the term oxymoron is sometimes used more loosely, in the sense of a simple contradiction in terms.Often, it is then applied to expressions which, unlike real oxymorons, are used in full earnest and without any sense of paradox by many speakers in everyday language.Calling such an expression an oxymoron is sometimes done in order to disparage its use, by drawing attention to a perceived inherent contradiction and thus claiming it to be nonsensical.Examples of expressions that are used without a sense of paradox by some but have been claimed to be "oxymorons" in this sense by critics (or by comedian George Carlin) include:
"With all deliberate speed" (i.Richard Armour in It All Started with Columbus, who said the American Civil War was fought politely).Such designations of alleged oxymorons are often made with a humorous purpose.Y, and then demonstrate that it is contradicted by X.For instance, to claim "honest politician" is an oxymoron implies politicians are dishonest.Both the above strategies can be seen combined in an example like military intelligence.The Thrash Metal band Megadeth commented on the phrase in their highly acclaimed song, Hangar 18: "Military Intelligence, two words combined that can't make sense".Use in humor
Oxymorons are most tellingly employed in injecting a sense of ironic, ostensibly unintended, humor.It should be remembered that this is a purely subjective line of thinking and presupposes that the reader or listener is already familiar with the intended humor.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.See Copyrights for details.Rhetorical figure by which contradictory terms are conjoined so as to give point to the statement or expression; the word itself is an illustration of the thing.Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.Lexico Publishing Group, LLC.Volume II (1998)
presents the theme of THE FRINGE.Cassidy remarks on language and dialects, and Nick Campion reveals the real
secret of Apocalypse.Duke biologist reminds us that
the entire male gender is fringe.From the Publisher, Patricia Hagood, Oxymoron Media, Inc.From the Editor, Edward Binkowski.Are you outside the bars looking in or inside, looking out?"Edward Tenner, "Why Dogs
Bite Back.""Few American magazines can claim to be agents of change."Ramparts: Agents of Change.""What hope is there is we have to get psychotic to acquire knowledge,
Rainer Thompson?Richard Foreman, "Rainer Thompson:
Possible Psychotic (No!Lynn Yaeger "Frayed Nerve: 150
Years of Transgressive Dressing."The truth is
out there.New Antiques arriving daily!Anglicized plural oxymorons)
A figure of speech in which two words of opposing meanings are used together to express two contrasting qualities in one concept.Usage notes
The standard meaning of oxymoron is the figure of speech described here, in which the contradiction is deliberate.In a contradiction in terms, the contradiction is unintentional and the person using the word is often unaware of it.Use of oxymoron in the latter sense obscures the standard meaning of the word and so is avoided by careful speakers and writers.This page was last modified 18:09, 13 December 2007.We found 32 dictionaries with English definitions that include the word oxymoron:
Tip: Click on the first link on a line below to go directly to a page where "oxymoron" is defined.Additional searches for oxymoron..."See a map of synonyms of oxymoron in the Visual Thesaurus."Library
Business
Entertainment
Health
People
Travel
Reference
Science
Shopping
Words
More...She is just a poor little rich girl.Oxymoron
The conjunction of words which, at first view, seem to be contradictory or incongruous, but whose surprising juxtaposition expresses a truth or dramatic effect, such as, cool fire, deafening silence, wise folly, etc.This article is about the contradiction in terms.For the punk band, see Oxymoron
(band).An oxymoron (plural oxymorons or, more rarely, oxymora) is a figure of
speech that combines two normally contradictory terms.Oxymoron is a loanword
from Greek oxy ("sharp") and moros ("dull").Thus the word oxymoron
is itself an oxymoron.An oxymoron is used mainly to create humour thus, for example leading an audience watching a play, to think about what's
happening and give them a deeper more meaningful understanding of the text.Oxymorons are a proper subset of the expressions called contradictions in terms.What distinguishes oxymorons from other paradoxes and contradictions is that they
are used intentionally, for rhetorical effect, and the contradiction is only apparent, as the combination of terms provides a
novel expression of some concept, such as "cruel to be kind".For example, the following line from Tennyson's
Idylls of the King contains two oxymorons:
"And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true"
Oxymorons can also be wooden irons in that they are in violation of the Principle of contradiction which asserts that nothing can be thought if it contains
contradictory characteristics, predicates, attributes, or qualities.Plural form
While "oxymorons" is the usual English plural, some prescriptivists prefer the classical alternative
"oxymora".Popular oxymorons
In popular usage, the term oxymoron is sometimes used more loosely, in the sense of a simple contradiction in
terms.Often, it is then applied to expressions which, unlike real oxymorons, are used in full earnest and without any sense
of paradox by many speakers in everyday language.Calling such an expression an oxymoron is sometimes done in order to disparage its use, by drawing attention to a perceived
inherent contradiction and thus claiming it to be nonsensical.Often this kind of argument is used in domains of political or
ideological dispute, or in order to criticize a perceived nonsensical use of technical terms by lay people who fail to understand
their true meanings.Examples of expressions that are used without a sense of paradox by some but have been claimed to be
"oxymorons" in this sense by critics (or by comedian George Carlin) include:
"With all deliberate speed" (i.Richard Armour in It All Started with
Columbus, who said the American Civil War was fought politely).Such designations of alleged oxymorons are often made with a
humorous purpose.Y, and then demonstrate that it is contradicted by X.For instance, to claim "honest politician"
is an oxymoron implies politicians are dishonest.Other expressions similarly designated as oxymorons include: Congressional
leadership, jumbo shrimp, socialist thinker, metal woods, and military intelligence.Both the above strategies can be seen combined in an example like "military intelligence".Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, p.If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.Post a question or answer questions about "oxymoron" at WikiAnswers.Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms.Read more
Grammar Dictionary.The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.Kett, and
James Trefil.Read more
Poetry Glossary.This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Oxymoron".More InfoAdd Answers to the IE7 Toolbar Search Box!Be the first to tackle these...Examples of oxymoron in a sentence?Is Final Destination Part 3 an oxymoron?What are some antonyms of oxymoron?What is the only true oxymoron?What are the names of the Caribbean islands located where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea?What state used to be a part of the commonwealth of Massachusetts?How does methane gas provide energy for anything? |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
