10 Examples of Oxymorons

By jamie

Article Sources

Medical Expert

More About Us

Oxymorons are figures of speech using two or more words that directly contradict each other. They are quite common in day-to-day language, and little attention is given to the fact that they are a contradiction in themselves. Quite often, we don’t even recognize that there is a contradiction at all.

Although technically contradictory, it will usually be quite overly pedantic to pick people up on them. Casual figures of speech are common in language, and the main point is to get your point across. Oxymorons can help us to do that very well, and here’s a look at some of the most common.

1. Cruel Kindness

A cruel kindness is a term that is often used to describe situations where somebody is performing a “cruel” act in order to be kind overall. For example, a friend might inform another friend that their partner is cheating on them. It is “cruel” because the news is likely to be painful, and “kind” because they are protecting their friend from a cheat. Another common example is to make people do something unpleasant for their own benefit. For example, forcing somebody to exercise will help to improve their health in the long term. People may not appreciate it at the time, but end up thanking the other person at some point in the future.

Related Articles