List of oxymorons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
[edit] List of genuine oxymora
Phrases with an inherent contradiction.
- a fine mess
- a little big
- a new classic
- absolutely unsure
- abundant poverty
- accidentally on purpose
- accurate stereotype
- act naturally
- adult children
- advanced beginner
- aging yuppie
- alone together
- almost always
- almost perfect
- appear invisible
- arid ocean
- assistant supervisor
- authentic reproduction
- awfully nice
- barely dressed
- big baby
- bird dog
- bittersweet
- blinding light
- black light
- cheap gas
- clearly ambiguous
- confirmed rumor
- consistently inconsistent
- constant change
- constant variable
- cruel kindness
- current history
- dangerously safe
- deafening silence (& loud silence etc.)
- definite maybe
- deliberate mistake
- deliberately thoughtless
- democratic centralism
- detailed summary
- diplomatic offensive
- dry lake
- easy problem
- educated illiterate
- elevated subway
- exact estimate
- false positive
- found missing
- forever's end
- forward lateral
- friendly fire
- gail grey
- genuine imitation (& genuine replica, etc.)
- guest host (and permanent guest host, a rare "triple" oxymoron)
- genuine illusion
- historical fiction
- holy hell
- half dead
- hearing visions
- highly depressed
- idiot savant
- instrumental song
- instant classic
- jogging stroller
- jumbo shrimp
- justifiable paranoia
- killed by death
- larger half
- limited omniscience
- linear curve
- liquid gas
- living dead
- live recording
- local long distance
- loud whisper
- mindless thinking
- midnight sun
- military intelligence
- modest magnificence
- new tradition
- Noise music
- only choice
- open secret
- original copy
- planned chaos
- plastic silverware (or golden silverware, wooden silverware)
- pop punk
- Post-Modern
- power nap
- resident alien
- rolling stop (driving)
- scatter-hoarder
- silent alarm
- solid gold plated
- stopmotion
- suicide victim
- sweet and sour
- sweet sorrow
- synthetic natural gas
- tight slacks
- timeless moment
- trained inept
- true lies
- true replica
- virtual reality
- virtual real estate
- woke up dead
[edit] 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
- almost exactly
- alone together
- anarchy rules
- Arabic antisemitism
- artificial life
- Badly drunk
- barely dressed
- black light
- burning cold
- charm offensive
- civil war
- clearly misunderstood
- cold sweat
- constant change
- creative destruction
- Dodge Ram
- drawing a blank
- dry ice
- even odds
- fine mess
- freezer burn
- fresh frozen
- full-time hobby
- good grief
- Great Depression
- growing smaller
- hard water
- hopelessly optimistic
- idiot savant
- infinite number
- jumbo shrimp
- live recording
- loud whisper
- minor disaster
- near miss
- new and improved
- new tradition
- non-dairy creamer
- old news
- open code
- partial ceasefire
- partially completed
- peace force
- poor little rich girl
- premenstrual period
- pretty ugly
- quiet hum
- really sarcastic
- radio show
- random order
- same difference
- self-help
- seriously funny
- sinfully good
- sixteen petite
- small crowd
- spectator sport
- standard deviation
- standard options
- student teacher
- static variable
- terribly good
- sun shower
- totally partial (to something)
- twelve-ounce pound cake
- unbelievably real
- unsalted saltine
- white gold
[edit] 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, implying that Microsoft can't make a piece of software that works. An almost infinite1 number 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.
