March 31, 2010
The oxymoron: it’s wicked good
According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, an oxymoron is “a figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory ideas or terms are combined.” The word comes from the Greek oxys (“sharp”) + moros (“stupid”), so “oxymoron” itself is an oxymoron (those clever Greeks).
There are hundreds of oxymora (yes, the plural of oxymoron is oxymora), ranging from the lyrical to the literal. And whenever I encounter one of these fascinating phrases in literature, advertising, or everyday language, I always pause and smile to myself in wonder.
Here’s a short list of my favorite oxymora:
Accidentally on Purpose (TV show)
controlled chaos
cruel kindness
deafening silence
freezer burn
good grief
industrial park
jumbo shrimp
live recording
Microsoft Works (office suite) 
mournful optimist
pretty ugly
Quiet Riot (band)
same difference
SweeTarts (candy)
sweet sorrow (“Parting is such sweet sorrow,” from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet)
True Lies (movie)
Have any you’d like to share? What’s your least favorite?
Filed by rebecca at 7:07 pm under For the love of words
I didn’t know the plural was oxymora! Interesting. So is more than one moron mora?
I don’t have a favourite or least favourite oxymoron. I don’t know that I even think of them much!
Good question, Steph! There are a lot of mora out there, for sure.