Perhaps what is most paradoxical and a little ironic is that oxymorons are often used in the English language and they are usually perfectly well understood, even though they are contradictory. It should be distinguished from 'a contradiction in terms' which means that one term or the other is likely to be untrue, that one term logically excludes the other one (the classic joke is 'military intelligence'), however people often use the term 'oxymoron' for a 'contradiction in terms'. An oxymoron is therefore a phrase usually involving two terms that seem to be contradictory or paradoxical but are both true. Some examples you will find are offered as oxymorons to make a point, such as: honest lawyer military intelligence business ethics religious tolerance Microsoft Works What an Oxymoron Is The original oxymoron is 'sweet and sour' (the Greek elements are: 'oxy' = acid, sharp and 'moron' = sweet, soft) - nowadays 'bittersweet' is perhaps the most common example, describing something that gives us pleasure but also has elements of sadness, regret or disappointment. Some examples are: jumbo shrimp / colossal shrimp /extremely average /same difference / living dead / bad health / calculated risk / cruel to be kind / the sound of silence deafening silence / open secret /almost pregnant / brutally handsome / blind eye / guest host / realistic fiction / unbiased opinion. An oxymoron is a figure of speech combining terms that are usually contradictory of one another.
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