oxymoron
noun

- two words used together that have, or seem to have, opposite meanings

- a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

The Cambridge Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The term “oxymoron” is first recorded as Latinized Greek oxymōrum, in Maurus Servius Honoratus (c. AD 400); it is derived from the Greek word ὀξύς oksús "sharp, keen, pointed" and μωρός mōros "dull, stupid, foolish"; as it were, "sharp-dull", "keenly stupid", or "pointedly foolish".

So, "oxymoron" cleverly embodies its own meaning by being a word that describes its own contradictory nature.

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OXYMORA A-to-W

act naturally, alone together, almost exactly, awfully pretty, clear confused, conspicous absence, deafening silence, found missing, good grief, Hells Angels, idiot savant, jumbo shrimp, minor miracle, now then, old news, only choice, open secret, peace force, plastic glasses, poor health, pretty ugly, random order, resident alien, sad smile, same difference, silent scream, small crowd, steel wool, sweet sorrow, terribly good, tight slacks, unbiased opinion, virtual reality, working vacation

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SYNONYMS

antithesis, cognitive dissonance, contradiction, incongruity, inconsistency, juxtaposition, OXYMORON, paradox, paradoxical statement, self-contradiction, self-refuting statement

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

"For many people these days, the term 'business ethics' sounds like an OXYMORON."

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