An oxymoron (plural oxymora or, more commonly, oxymorons) (noun) is a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms (e.g. “deafening silence”).

Oxymoron is a Greek term derived from oxy (“sharp”) and moros (“dull”). The meaning is “that which is sharp and dull,” thereby designating and also exhibiting an opposition between two adjectives which serve as predicates for one subject.

Oxymorons are a proper subset of the expressions called contradictions in terms. What distinguishes oxymora from other paradoxes and contradictions is that they are used intentionally, for rhetorical effect, and the contradiction is only apparent, as the combination of terms provides a novel expression of some concept, such as “cruel to be kind”.

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