Have you ever noticed someone who is fluent in English, using a variety of figures of speech? Figure of speech is itself to accentuate the words. That is why several writers and poets use a variety of figures of speech throughout their creations. Even with the use of a single figure of speech you can amplify the effect of your essay or writing piece.
In this article we will talk about one such type of figure of speech that is more common but hardly people know its name: Oxymoron. In this article, you will find oxymoron meaning and its example.
What is Oxymoron?
Oxymoron figure of speech two different or Opposite words are combined to create a unique word. This word seems absurd yet conveys a perfect meaning. The oxymoron is derived from the Greek word oxys and moros.
Here ‘oxys’ imeans sharp and ‘moron’ means dull. As you can see you were here to different and totally contrast words are combined to create the name oxymoron itself.
Also Read: Daily Routine English Conversation: Make Your Communication Skills Effective
Common Oxymoron Examples
A
| A |
| Absence present
accidentally on purpose accurate estimate act naturally advanced beginner almost exactly alone together Awfully good amazingly awful approximately equal |
B
| B |
| Bittersweet
Brisk vacancy Beggarly riches |
C
| C |
| calculated risk
climb down close distance consistently inconsistent conspicuous absence constant variable controlled chaos cool passion crash landing cruel kindness cheerful pessimist civil war clearly misunderstood comfortable misery |
D
| D |
| dark light
deafening silence deceptive honesty definite maybe definite possibility deliberate mistake devout agnostic disgustingly delicious divided unity double solitaire dull roar darkness visible deliberate speed devout atheist |
E
| E |
| eloquent silence
even odds exact estimate extinct life endless hour |
F
| F |
| fairly accurate
fairly obvious final draft fine mess firm pillow found missing free love freezer burn friendly fire full-time hobby falsely true festive tranquility friendly takeover |
G
| G |
| genuine imitation
good grief growing smaller guest host genuine imitation going nowhere |
H
| H |
| hard cushion
historical present humane slaughter |
I
| I |
| icy hot
idiot savant ill health impossible solution intense apathy imperfect perfection |
J
| J |
| joyful noise
joyful sorrow jumbo shrimp joyful sadness |
L
| L |
| larger half
literal interpretation loosely sealed love-hate loud whisper lascivious grace lead balloon liquid marble living dead living end living sacrifices loyal opposition |
M
| M |
| magic realism
melancholy merriment (Byron 1819) militant pacifist minor miracle minor crisis mud bath |
N
| N |
| Natural make-up
negative growth negative income |
O
| O |
| old news
one-man band only choice openly deceptive open secret original copy overbearingly modest old news only alternative only option open circuit organized mess |
P
| P |
| passive learning
unbiased opinion painful beauty passive-aggressive passive worship plastic silverware pretty ugly paper tablecloth paper towel peaceful conquest plastic glasses poor health properly ridiculous |
Q and R
| Q and R |
| Quiet roar
random order recorded live resident alien real knockoff real-life fairy tale rolling stop |
S
| S |
| same difference
serious fun seriously funny student teacher sweet misery silent scream small crowd sad smile same difference scalding coolness seriously funny shrewd dumbness soft rock Sound of Silence static flow steel wool sweet sorrow |
T
| T |
| terribly good
theoretical experience transparent night true fiction terribly nice tragic comedy true myth |
U and V
| U and V |
| Unbiased opinion
unconscious awareness upward fall unpopular celebrity virtual reality |
W and Z
| W and Z |
| walking dead
weirdly normal wise fool working vacation zero deficit |
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Use in Literature
#1. “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.”
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
#2. “I have passed with a nod of the head
Or polite meaningless words,
Or have lingered awhile and said
Polite meaningless words,
And thought before I had done
Of a mocking tale or a gibe
To please a companion
Around the fire at the club,
Being certain that they and I
But lived where motley is worn:
All changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.”
William Butler Yeats, “Easter 1916”
#3. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
Animal Farm by George Orwell
#4. “Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still,
Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will!
Where shall we dine?—O me! What fray was here?
Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all.
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 feels like I feel no love in this.”
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
#5. “Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I’ll give my all to you
You’re my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I’m winning”
John Legend, “All of Me”
#6. ” And peradventure had he seen her first
She might have made this and that other world
Another world for the sick man; but now
The shackles of an old love straitened him,
His honour rooted in dishonour stood,
And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.”
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Lancelot and Elaine” in Idylls of the King
Also Read: English Conversation Sentences: Buckle Up with Spoken English Conversation Practice
Oxymoron Figure of Speech Example in Sentences
# The movie was awfully good.
# The dress was pretty ugly.
# The drama is a tragic comedy
# She had poor health.
# You need to give an unbiased opinion.
# The badge was loosely connected to the blazer.
# Rebecca is an expert in no-makeup makeup look.
# The writer has just submitted his final draft.
# This is seriously funny.
# His dad is on working vacation.
# Rather than passive learning, everyone should focus on active learning.
# They were in a love-hate relationship.
# They were supposed to act naturally.
# The weight of the bag is approximately equal to this one.
# North and South America was engaged in a Civil war.
# You have to consider the even-odds of life.
# I am going nowhere.
# The cart had jumbo shrimp.
# The pig enjoyed its mud bath.
# This is old news.
# He had a sad smile.
# Believe in the sound of silence.
# The film was based on the Walking dead.
Also Read: Daily English Conversation Dialogues: Category Wise Dialogues for Everyday Conversations
Conclusion
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