Oxymoron
Pronounced ok-see-MOR-on.
Oxymoron: Two contradictory words placed together so their clash creates a new meaning.
An oxymoron compresses a contradiction into two words, handing the reader an impossible object they must resolve - which is exactly where the meaning lives.
Oxymoron examples
"Parting is such sweet sorrow."
— Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
"O brawling love! O loving hate!"
— Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
"No light, but rather darkness visible."
— Paradise Lost, John Milton
"Deafening silence."
— common usage
"The committee reached a unanimous disagreement."
— original example
Spot the Oxymoron
Score: 0/0Two contradictory words placed together so their clash creates a new meaning.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow."
Which work is this from?
Explore every literary device in the poetic devices hub.
Oxymoron: common questions
What is oxymoron in literature?
Two contradictory words placed together so their clash creates a new meaning. An oxymoron compresses a contradiction into two words, handing the reader an impossible object they must resolve - which is exactly where the meaning lives.
What is an example of oxymoron?
A classic example is "Parting is such sweet sorrow." (Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare).
What is the difference between an oxymoron and a paradox?
An oxymoron is a two-or-three-word contradiction ('sweet sorrow'); a paradox is a whole statement that seems self-contradictory yet proves true on reflection ('I must be cruel, only to be kind'). The oxymoron is a phrase-level device, the paradox an idea-level one.
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