Oxymoron

Introduction

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory or opposing words to create a paradoxical and thought-provoking expression, often used for rhetorical effect.

In this article, we will define this figure of speech and illustrate it with examples from literature.

Let’s get started with understanding what an oxymoron means!

What is an Oxymoron?

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines incongruous or contradictory terms. The plural is oxymorons or oxymora.

The term “oxymoron” originates from the Greek language, where “oxus” means “sharp” or “keen,” and “moros” means “foolish” or “dull.” Combining these elements, the term evolved to describe a rhetorical device that juxtaposes contradictory or seemingly incompatible words for expressive impact.

Oxymorons often involve the combination of contradictory or opposing terms for rhetorical effect. The following examples showcase both adjective-noun and noun-verb combinations:

Adjective-noun oxymorons:

• Dark light
• Deafening silence
• Living dead
• Open secret
• Virtual reality
•  Old news
• Organized chaos

Noun-verb oxymoron:

• The silence whistles

These combinations create a striking contrast, emphasizing the paradoxical nature of the expressions.

Why Do Writers Use Oxymorons?

Writers use oxymorons as a literary device to enhance their language, create impact, and convey nuanced meanings. The juxtaposition of contradictory terms adds depth and complexity to their expressions. Here are some purposes for which writers employ oxymorons:

• Vivid Language: Oxymorons contribute to the creation of vivid and memorable language.
• Thought Provocation: They provoke thought by introducing apparent contradictions.
• Emotional Engagement: The contrasting elements evoke emotions, making the writing more impactful.
• Highlighting Complexity: They emphasize the complexity or irony inherent in a concept.
• Rhetorical Flair: Writers use them to add rhetorical flair, making their writing more compelling.

Oxymoron Vs. Paradox

Oxymoron and paradox are both literary devices that involve the juxtaposition of seemingly contradictory elements. While they share similarities, they serve distinct purposes in language and literature.

An oxymoron as explained above is a figure of speech that combines two seemingly contradictory or opposing words to create a paradoxical effect. They are used to evoke emotion, emphasize contrasts, and highlight the complexity of a concept or situation.

• Examples: “Bitter sweet,” “deafening silence,” “jumbo shrimp.”

A paradox, on the other hand, is a statement or situation that appears contradictory but may reveal a deeper truth upon closer examination. It is used to challenge conventional thinking, provoke thought, and often convey profound insights or truths about human experience.

• Examples: “Less is more,” “I can resist anything except temptation,” “the beginning of the end.”

The differences between the two figures of speech lie in the following:

• Structure: Oxymorons are typically short phrases with juxtaposed words, creating a vivid contrast in a few words. Paradoxes often involve longer statements or situations that seem contradictory at first glance.
• Purpose: Oxymorons aim to evoke specific emotions and emphasize the juxtaposition of contrasting elements. Paradoxes, on the other hand, often aim to challenge and provoke thought, revealing hidden truths or insights.

Here is an illustrative table:

Aspect	Oxymoron	Paradox
Definition	Combines contradictory words for effect.	Presents a statement or situation that appears contradictory but may reveal deeper truth.
Purpose	Evokes emotion, emphasizes contrasts.	Challenges conventional thinking, provokes thought, reveals deeper truths.
Examples	“Bitter sweet,” “deafening silence.”	“Less is more,” “I can resist anything except temptation.”

Examples of Oxymorons in Everyday Conversations

Here’s a table with common oxymorons and sentences using them:

Oxymoron	Sentence
Jumbo shrimp	The restaurant boasted about its famous jumbo shrimp, a favorite among patrons.
Act naturally	In the audition, she was instructed to act naturally while delivering her lines.
Same difference	Whether you take the highway or the scenic route, it’s the same difference.
Clearly confused	His explanation left everyone clearly confused about the project’s goals.
Original copy	The museum displayed an original copy of the ancient manuscript.
Awfully good	Despite the simple ingredients, the dish turned out to be awfully good.
Small crowd	The intimate concert venue attracted a small crowd of dedicated fans.
Seriously funny	His deadpan delivery made the joke seriously funny to everyone in the room.
Bitter sweet	Graduation day was a bitter sweet moment as they celebrated and said goodbye.
Only option	In the deserted town, taking the old road was the only option available.
Random order	The books on the shelf were arranged in a seemingly random order.
Found missing	After an exhaustive search, the lost keys were finally found missing in the car.
Virtual reality	The video game provided a captivating virtual reality experience.
Open secret	Everyone knew about the surprise party; it was an open secret among friends.
Passive-aggressive	Her passive-aggressive comments made the atmosphere tense during the meeting.
Living dead	The zombie movie depicted a world overrun by the living dead.
Deafening silence	The courtroom fell into a deafening silence as the verdict was announced.
Pretty ugly	Despite her unconventional style, some found her fashion choices pretty ugly.
Tight slacks	He struggled to sit comfortably in the tight slacks he wore to the meeting.
Freezer burn	The ice cream had been in the freezer for too long, showing signs of freezer burn.

Examples of Oxymorons in Literature

Oxymorons are frequently used in literature:

Example 1:

Juliet

Sweet, so would I,
Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing.
Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

From “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare

The oxymoron is present in the phrase “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” This expression combines contradictory terms, suggesting that saying goodbye is both sweet (pleasant or joyful) and sorrowful (painful or sad). The oxymoron captures the bittersweet nature of farewells, emphasizing the complex and conflicting emotions experienced in the act of parting.

Example 2:

Romeo

Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love.
Why, then, O brawling love, O loving hate,
O anything of nothing first created,
O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still-waking sleep that is not what it is.
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.

From “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare

In this evocative excerpt from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the use of oxymorons contributes to the conflicting emotions and paradoxes that characterize the speaker’s experience with love. Oxymorons are skillfully employed to convey the intricate nature of the speaker’s feelings. Each oxymoron serves as a linguistic device, weaving together seemingly opposing concepts to encapsulate the complexity, inner turmoil, and nuances of the speaker’s emotions.

Here are examples from the passage:

• Heavy lightness:
  • Meaning: Implies a weight or burden associated with something typically considered light.
  • Explanation: The speaker expresses a sense of heaviness or burden in their emotions, contrasting with the lightness often associated with love.
• Serious vanity:
  • Meaning: Combines seriousness and vanity, suggesting depth in something often perceived as trivial.
  • Explanation: The speaker highlights the profound or significant nature of an element that is usually associated with superficiality or triviality.
• Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms:
  • Meaning: Suggests disorder within the appearance of order or beauty.
  • Explanation: The speaker conveys the idea that outward appearances can be deceptive, hiding inner chaos or disorder beneath a well-structured facade.
• Feather of lead:
  • Meaning: Implies a combination of lightness and heaviness.
  • Explanation: The speaker describes a conflicting emotional state, where the lightness associated with a feather is juxtaposed with the heaviness of lead, emphasizing the paradox of their feelings.
• Bright smoke:
  • Meaning: Combines brightness with the insubstantial or elusive quality of smoke.
  • Explanation: The speaker suggests that something vivid or bright is also intangible or elusive, underscoring the fleeting nature of the emotions.
• Cold fire:
  • Meaning: Conveys intensity or passion without warmth.
  • Explanation: The speaker describes a love or desire that is emotionally distant or lacks the warmth typically associated with such feelings.
• Sick health:
  • Meaning: Implies compromised or unhealthy well-being.
  • Explanation: The speaker describes a state of well-being that is paradoxically unhealthy or compromised, reflecting the complexities of their emotional state.
• Still-waking sleep:
  • Meaning: Suggests a sleep-like state that is not restful or peaceful.
  • Explanation: The speaker describes a restless or troubled mental state, using the oxymoron to convey the paradox of a sleep-like condition that lacks tranquility.

Example 2:

Sweet scorn, sweet anger, and sweet misery,
Forgiveness sweet, sweet burden, and sweet ill;
Sweet accents that mine ear so sweetly thrill,
That sweetly bland, now sweetly fierce can be.
Mourn not, my soul, but suffer silently;
And those embitter’d sweets thy cup that fill
With the sweet honour blend of loving still
Her whom I told: “Thou only pleasest me.”
Hereafter, moved with envy, some may say:
“For that high-boasted beauty of his day
Enough the bard has borne!” then heave a sigh.
Others: “Oh! why, most hostile Fortune, why
Could not these eyes that lovely form survey?
Why was she early born, or wherefore late was I?”

By Francesco Petrarca

This passage is rich with examples of oxymorons, capturing the complex and contradictory nature of the emotions expressed. While there are many instances, we will focus on three to illustrate the nuanced use of this literary device:

1. “Sweet scorn”
   • Explanation: The juxtaposition of “sweet” and “scorn” combines positive and negative emotions, portraying a complex and conflicting attitude.
2. “Sweet anger”
   • Explanation: Similar to “sweet scorn,” the pairing of “sweet” with “anger” conveys a mix of positive and negative sentiments, emphasizing the paradoxical nature of the emotional experience.
3. “Sweet burden”
   • Explanation: This oxymoron suggests that the burden, typically associated with something heavy or troublesome, is endowed with sweetness, adding layers of complexity to the emotional weight being carried.

These chosen examples showcase how oxymorons in the passage contribute to portraying intricate and contradictory feelings within the context of love and forgiveness.

Example 3:

“Lady Russell had only to listen composedly, and wish them happy, but internally her heart revelled in angry pleasure, in pleased contempt, that the man who at twenty-three had seemed to understand somewhat of the value of an Anne Elliot, should, eight years afterwards, be charmed by a Louisa Musgrove.”

From “Persuasion” by Jane Austen

In “Persuasion” by Jane Austen, the oxymoron “angry pleasure” describes Lady Russell’s conflicting emotions. While she outwardly wishes happiness for others, internally she takes some satisfaction or enjoyment in observing a shift of affections. However, this pleasure is accompanied by anger, as the situation involves the man who once valued Anne Elliot now being charmed by another woman, Louisa Musgrove, after eight years. The oxymoron captures the complexity of Lady Russell’s feelings in this romantic context.

Conclusion

In conclusion, an oxymoron serves as a potent literary device, offering a succinct and impactful means of expressing complex ideas by juxtaposing seemingly contradictory terms.

While it shares a connection with the broader concept of paradox, which involves statements or situations that appear contradictory yet reveal deeper truths, an oxymoron is specifically concerned with the fusion of opposing words within a concise phrase.

Using oxymorons in your writing not only adds richness and depth to the language but also allows for the creation of vivid contrasts.

Related Pages:

• More figures of speech
• Articles about writing