Oxymora fall into several classes. See Oxymoron for more details.
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.
Genuine Oxymora
Phrases with an inherent contradiction.
- Act naturally
- Almost exactly
- Authentic reproduction
- Bitter sweet
- Center around
- Elevated subway
- Exact estimate
- Extensive briefing
- Found missing
- Forever's end
- Genuine imitation (& genuine replica, etc.)
- Guest host (and Permanent guest host, a rare "triple" oxymoron)
- Liquid gas
- Loud silence (& Deafening silence etc.)
- Mandatory options
- Modest magnificence
- Mournful optimist
- Open secret
- Plastic glasses
- Plastic silverware
- Sophomore (latin for "wise foolish")
- Sweet sorrow
- Wireless cable
- Working vacation
- Common difference
- Definite maybe
- Detailed summary
- Free servitude
- Little Giant
- Local long-distance
- Loud whisper
- Original copy
- Rural town
- Synthetic natural gas
- Tight slacks
- True lies
- Virtual reality
Perceived Oxymora
Which sound like a contradiction, often because of multiple possible meanings of one of the words.
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 "military intelligence" is an oxymoron you imply that the military machine is unintelligent. An almost infinite number1 of these can be constructed.
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B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Footnotes
1. "Almost infinite" may possibly be itself an oxymoron, since no number other than infinity may be close to infinity. (Mathematicians do, however, recognize a large, perhaps infinite, number of distinct kinds of infinity, such as Aleph-null.)
