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Oxymoron

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Juxtaposition of apparently contradictory terms (e.g., "bittersweet").

Detailed Definition
An oxymoron is a rhetorical figure that juxtaposes two seemingly contradictory terms to reveal a deeper paradox or complex truth—such as “bittersweet” or “deafening silence”—and is frequently used in poetry to express emotional ambivalence or philosophical tension, as in Shakespeare’s “loving hate.”
Example
Example in poetry:
Oxymoron: Shakespeare’s “loving hate” in “Romeo and Juliet” captures emotional paradox; John Donne’s “batter my heart” combines violence and devotion; Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” uses “fig tree” with fruit that “withered and died” while still on branch; contemporary poet Ocean Vuong writes “beautiful war” in “Aubade with Burning City”; oxymorons fuse contradictory terms to reveal complex truths; they create tension and layered meaning.
Additional Notes
Oxymoron: A figure combining contradictory terms (e.g., “bittersweet,” “deafening silence”); creates tension and complexity; frequent in metaphysical and Romantic poetry.
Other Meanings of “Oxymoron”
Also Known As
Contradictory pair Paradoxical phrase Self-contradicting term Impossible combination Figurative contradiction Self-contradiction Oxymore Contradictio in adiecto
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