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oxymoronic

oxymoronic

2 8.1
Showing two opposite ideas in one word or phrase
  • adjective
  • /ˌɑk.sɪˈmɔr.ɪk/
  • Literature
translation icon : oxímoron
  • The term "jumbo shrimp" is a classic example of how oxymoronic phrases can be humorously contradictory.
  • oxymoronic phrases

So Johnny has this very oxymoronic personality make up.

Examples

  • The very mention of ecumenism in the same sentence with the word "evangelicals" may seem oxymoronic, at least at first glance.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Is the oxymoronic combination one from folk or fairytale with its prince in disguise?

    Academic text (2006)
  • And I want nothing to do with that oxymoronic behavior.

    Blog text (2)
  • So Johnny has this very oxymoronic personality make up.

  • Yet the practice of art history provides an oxymoronic twist on this by now common characterization.

    Academic text (2002)
  • What is clear, though, is that this dilemma must be addressed before the term social work administrator becomes oxymoronic.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Lindsay aptly calls them "oxymoronic citizen refugees."

    Academic text (2010)
  • Saraband is a paradoxical, oxymoronic embodiment of fragmented order.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Clearly, such a claim has an oxymoronic appeal but also hints at the conflicted history of disciplinary paradigms of the world.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Shakespeare, through repetition, has thus arrived at the oxymoronic reality of the vexed still, still vexed phenomenon that will recur in The Tempest.

    Academic text (2005)

Synonyms

contradictory
vsoxymoronic
72 6.1

Showing ideas or statements that do not agree and cannot both be true

applies to a single phrase that literally pairs opposites together
paradoxical
vsoxymoronic
15 7.5

Something that seems impossible or wrong but is still true

denotes a short expression that pairs opposites for rhetorical effect
antithetical
vsoxymoronic
12 8.4

Directly opposed in beliefs or purpose

refers to one expression that joins opposing terms into a unit
conflicting
vsoxymoronic
7 4.2

Having ideas, facts, or feelings that do not agree with each other

is used for a compact construction that combines two opposing words
self-contradictory
vsoxymoronic
3 7.0

An idea that does not agree with another idea

focuses instead on one short expression that places opposites side by side
oppositive
vsoxymoronic
  • Specialized
9.6

Showing a clear difference between two ideas

describes a single expression that fuses two opposing terms together
antithetic
vsoxymoronic
9.3

Directly opposite in idea or purpose

describes a compact phrase that combines two opposite ideas
antinomic
vsoxymoronic
  • Formal
9.9

Involving a conflict between two ideas or rules

names a brief expression that joins contradictory terms within itself

How Contradictory

contradictory
72 6.1
oxymoronic
  • Literature
2 8.1
paradoxical
15 7.5

Surface Forms

oxymoronic positive

Morphology

oxymoronic = oxymoron (transparent) = oxymoron + ic

Formed by the productive adjective-forming suffix '-ic' added to the noun 'oxymoron', yielding 'relating to or characteristic of an oxymoron', which is directly derivable.

Etymology

Oxymoronic comes from Greek parts oxy- meaning 'sharp' and moron meaning 'dull'. So something oxymoronic mixes two opposite ideas, which is why phrases like 'bittersweet' or 'seriously funny' feel surprising and memorable.