oxymoron

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a figure of speech combining contradictory terms

   "Deafening silence" is a classic oxymoron beloved of poets.

From Ancient Greek oxymōron, a self-illustrating compound of oxys ('sharp, clever') and mōros ('dull, foolish'); the word is itself an oxymoron meaning roughly 'pointedly foolish.'

Topics