oxymoron
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What is the definition of an oxymoron and how is it used in everyday language?
It's the word of the day podcast for August eighteenth. Today's word is oxymoron, spelled O XY M O R O N. Oxymoron is a noun. And oxymoron is a combination of words that have opposite or very different meanings, such as cruel kindness or open secret. In broader usage, oxymoron can also refer to something, such as a concept, that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements. Here's the word used in a sentence from Hello magazine. Even the most environmentally aware beauty editors I know, perhaps that's an oxymoron given the amount of product we have to test for our jobs, use sheet masks on a weekly basis. And the trend is showing no signs of slowing.
How did the ancient Greeks name and classify the oxymoron in rhetoric?
The ancient Greeks exhaustively classified the elements of rhetoric or effective speech and writing, and gave the name oxymoron, literally pointed foolishness, to the deliberate juxtaposing of seemingly contradictory words. The roots of oxymoron, oxys meaning sharp or keen, and moros meaning foolish, are nearly antonyms themselves, making oxymoron. Oxymoron nicely self-descriptive. Oxymoron originally applied to a meaningful paradox condensed into a couple of words, as in lonely crowd or sweet sorrow.
What are classic literary examples of oxymorons and why do they matter?
Today, however, what is commonly cited as an oxymoron is often simply a curiosity of language, where one or both elements have multiple meanings, as in shrimp or From jumbo shrimp, which doesn't mean small, it refers to a sea creature.
How do modern examples like “jumbo shrimp” and “organized chaos” illustrate the evolution of oxymorons?
Or a phrase whose elements seem antithetical in spirit, such as organized chaos. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski. Visit MarionWebster dot com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the definition of an oxymoron and how is it used in everyday language?
0:06–0:58
2
How did the ancient Greeks name and classify the oxymoron in rhetoric?
0:58–1:36
3
What are classic literary examples of oxymorons and why do they matter?
1:36–1:53
4
How do modern examples like “jumbo shrimp” and “organized chaos” illustrate the evolution of oxymorons?
1:53–2:11