List of oxymora
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This is a list of oxymora, which are figures of speech that combine two normally contradictory words.
Please note that just because a phrase describes something non-existent that does not make it an oxymoron. "Partly pregnant" is an impossibility, not an oxymoron.
Contents |
List of genuine oxymora
Phrases with an inherent contradiction.
- almost exactly
- definite maybe
- detailed summary
- dry lake
- elevated subway
- exact estimate
- found missing
- forever's end
- forward lateral
- genuine imitation (& genuine replica, etc.)
- guest host (and permanent guest host, a rare "triple" oxymoron)
- justifiable paranoia
- limited omniscience
- liquid gas
- living dead
- local long-distance
- loud silence (& deafening silence etc.)
- mandatory option
- modest magnificence
- mournful optimist
- only choice
- open secret
- original copy
- rolling stop (driving)
- scatter-hoarder
- sweet sorrow
- synthetic natural gas
- true lies
- virtual reality
- wake up dead / woke up dead (as in "You're making enough noise to wake up the dead!")
- wireless cable
- working vacation
List of perceived oxymora
These are not really oxymora; they sound like a contradiction but aren't, often because of multiple possible meanings of one of the words.
- Active retirement
- Adult children
- Advanced BASIC
- Agree to disagree
- Alone together
- Awfully good
- Baby grand (piano)
- Barely dressed
- Black light
- Burning cold
- Charm offensive
- Civil war
- Clearly misunderstood
- Cold sweat
- Constant change
- Creative destruction
- Dodge Ram
- Drawing a blank
- Fine mess
- Freezer burn
- Fresh Frozen
- Full-time hobby
- Good Grief
- Growing smaller
- Hard water
- Hopelessly optimistic
- Idiot savant
- Infinite number
- Jumbo shrimp
- Live recording
- Living dead
- Minor disaster
- New and improved
- New tradition
- Non-dairy creamer
- Old news
- Partially completed
- Passive aggressive
- Peace force
- Poor little rich girl
- Pretty ugly
- Radio show
- Random order
- Same difference
- Self-help
- Seriously funny
- Sinfully good
- Small crowd
- Small fortune
- Standard deviation
- Standard options
- Static variable
- Terribly good
- Totally partial (to something)
- Twelve-ounce pound cake
- Unbelievably real
- Unsalted saltine
- Young adult
- Intelligently stupid
- Open code
List of joke oxymora
These are phrases where a comic effect or opinion point is made by pretending that they are oxymora. For example, the joke is that by stating that "Microsoft Works" is an oxymoron you imply that Microsoft can't make a piece of software that works. An almost infinite number1 of these can be constructed. Whether these phrases are actually oxymora depends on the reader's point of view; someone who believes that Microsoft does work would not think that "Microsoft Works" is an oxymoron. Joke oxymora almost always involve stereotypes. For example, saying that "honest lawyer" is an oxymoron works on the stereotype that lawyers are liars. This too, is subject to a person's point of view.
- <insert name of place> culture.
- Honest <insert kind of person you don't like> (likewise trustworthy, good, fair etc.)
- Airline food
- Alberta environment minister
- Business ethics
- Canadian military
- Computer jock
- Democratic people's republic
- Educational television
- Fast food
- Ford Quality
- Good Morning
- Government efficiency
- Happy marriage
- Healthy tan
- Holy war
- Intelligent footballer
- Microsoft Works
- Military intelligence
- Network security
- Progressive Conservative
- Pro-life feminism (or, conversely, pro-choice feminism)
- Rap music
- Reality television
- Religious tolerance
- Sanitary landfill
- Christian Science
See also
- Oxymoron
- Tautology
- List of redundant expressions (opposite of oxymoron)
External links
Footnotes
1 "Almost infinite" may possibly be itself an oxymoron, since no number other than infinity may be close to infinity, and is in fact an infinite number away from infinity.de:Oxymoron (Sprache) fr:Liste d'oxymorons