How to Use oxymoron in a Sentence

oxymoron

noun
  • The phrase “cruel kindness” is an oxymoron.
  • The thing that most struck me was the oxymoron (no longer) of standing outside in a hot wind.
    Chris Mooney, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2011
  • The Tibetans spend a lot of time living with death, if that isn't an oxymoron.
    TheWeek, 17 May 2020
  • Coaching the All-Star Game is kind of an oxymoron, anyway.
    Daniel Mano, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2017
  • For critics of Marvel’s Phase Four, that might seem like a bit of an oxymoron.
    Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 May 2023
  • No-makeup makeup is the oxymoron that just will not quit.
    Sable Yong, Allure, 22 June 2017
  • What was once an oxymoron is now the increasing norm: Camping is very much on the grid.
    Jessica Teich, Good Housekeeping, 3 July 2021
  • Strength of schedule is an oxymoron the next few weeks for the Patriots.
    BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2019
  • The riff-laden metal song may be the best-sounding Nickelback song in years — and no, that is not an oxymoron!
    Vulture, 7 Oct. 2022
  • The concept itself may strike some as something of an oxymoron.
    Jason Kehe, Wired, 8 July 2020
  • Saving money in New York: Some would say it’s an oxymoron.
    Charlotte Cowles, The Cut, 16 Feb. 2018
  • Ashley Chandrasinghe is a player to watch in the future - and that's not an oxymoron.
    Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
  • And Irish cuisine, once considered a bit of an oxymoron, is on full display in Dublin.
    Sean Patrick Flynn, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2021
  • Still, a career in fashion sounded like an oxymoron back then.
    Joshua Levine, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2017
  • There’s an oxymoron that floats around the audio industry.
    Lauren Jackson, New York Times, 7 May 2021
  • Linen napkins may seem like an oxymoron but these are more for fashion than function.
    Jessica Cherner, House Beautiful, 20 Jan. 2023
  • But many people consider the phrase to be an Orwellian oxymoron.
    Robert Hackett, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2020
  • The Light Ages is a book about medieval science, which to many casual readers sounds like something of an oxymoron.
    Chad Orzel, Forbes, 12 May 2021
  • Then it was reported that Haredi viewers (the very phrase is something of an oxymoron) were also binge-watching the show.
    Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2021
  • Minute Earth explains: At first, a solar panel window might seem like an oxymoron.
    Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 27 July 2017
  • This is the sportiest of the Camrys (no, the words sporty and Camry are no longer oxymorons), complete with quad exhausts and a black roof, spoiler, window surrounds, grille, and wheels.
    Al Haas, Philly.com, 3 Apr. 2018
  • Ellen Berscheid and Elaine Hatfield, started out in a field that was then thought of as an oxymoron: relationship science.
    Savvy Psychologist Ellen Hendriksen, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2019
  • Rich guys suffering consequences is an oxymoron in the NFL.
    Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 2 Feb. 2022
  • Which, for me, has been, and with any luck will continue to be, the golden oxymoron of the American experiment.
    Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 10 Feb. 2023
  • That experience was both priceless and valuable — and that’s not an oxymoron.
    Star Tribune, 23 Oct. 2020
  • The idea of a moderate on social media can sometimes seem like an oxymoron, but this is because the loudest voices drown out those in the middle.
    Christopher A. Bail, CNN, 4 May 2021
  • The idea of an honest Prohibition agent was nearly an oxymoron.
    Lillian Cunningham, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2018
  • Most of the draft experts (the ultimate oxymoron) will tell you there is not a surefire superstar in this year’s draft and there’s not all that much difference between the first and sixth pick.
    Mike Bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, 17 May 2017
  • And here’s the real head-scratcher: The phrase Air Force football has long been considered somewhat of an oxymoron, because these Falcons don’t fly.
    Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2019
  • Luxury sleeping pads might seem like an oxymoron to some, but the Comfort Plus delivers an exceedingly cushy place to rest at the end of the day.
    Adrienne Donica, Popular Mechanics, 29 Dec. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oxymoron.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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