Bittersweet or awfully good: Explore the contradictory world of oxymorons!
All of us are acquainted with phrases like awfully good, bittersweet, and wicked good. Well, these are all examples of oxymorons. Two words that convey opposite meanings are juxtaposed to create unique expressions. This figure of speech is defined as oxymoron. Used to create a sense of paradox, oxymorons have become a part of everyday conversations, entertainment blogs and catchy captions. Did you know that a significant historical incident has also been given a name that’s an oxymoron? It’s the Civil War! Amazing, right? Want to learn more about the origin, uses and examples of oxymorons? Keep on reading!
Oxymorons: How did they emerge?
The word oxymoron is derived from two ancient Greek words: Oxys, meaning sharp, and moronos, meaning stupid. The Greek term oxymōrum was recorded in AD 400 in the Maurus Servius Honoratus! So, the word oxymoron is oxymoronic as well! Despite the frequent use in pop culture, blogs and articles, people hardly know the origin of oxymorons or who was the first person to use them. However, according to some scholars, they have been used since ancient times in Greece.
How to use oxymorons?
There are many ways you can use oxymorons to enhance your writing. They help create a playful tone in your essays and conversations (seriously funny). Using them can also add a dramatic effect to your texts; try ‘absolutely unsure’ You can use oxymorons to convey a deeper meaning, as in ‘bittersweet’ If you want to add or convey irony, they serve the purpose just right.
Oxymoron in literature
You will easily find the use of oxymorons in many literary masterpieces. They are used typically to convey emotions in unique ways.
William Shakespeare has been known to use them in his poems and plays quite amply. Take this line from Romeo and Juliet for example, ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow’. You guessed it right; sweet sorrow is the oxymoron used here. In fact, Shakespeare coined 13 sets of oxymorons back to back in his play Romeo and Juliet.
Typically, oxymorons are a pair of an adjective and a noun. Renowned American author Richard Lederer, in 1990, constructed ‘logological oxymorons’ such as the word nook (no + ok) or ‘press release’, ‘divorce court’ etc. in his book named Oxymoronology. As oxymorons evolved, there came to be many single-word oxymorons too such preposterous, upside-down, sophomore, etc.
Oxymorons in our daily lives
We use oxymorons quite often in our day-to-day conversations. Don’t believe us? Here are some examples: Jumbo shrimp, paper towel, silent scream, alone together, crash landing, definitely maybe, working vacation, good grief, extinct life, virtual reality, negative income and bittersweet. Look around, and you can easily find many more such examples, which will surely amaze you. Use them in your conversations, blogs, and essays to make a mark with your writing.