What is an Oxymoron?

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that uses contradictory terms. The most common form of oxymoron involves an oxymoron-noun combination of two words.

Examples of Oxymorons

Deafening silence.

Pretty ugly.

Minor crisis.

living dead.

Bitter sweet

These can also be used to create an oxymoron poem.

Example of a Poem Using Oxymorons

The calm wind blew,
The sun shone a blinding light.
All around, a deafening silence as,
The atmosphere changed shape.

Oxymorons are used in poetry to create dramatic expression.

Why don’t you try writing a poem using an oxymoron and enter it into one of our poetry competitions.

For information on poetry terms other than an adjective visit our poetry glossary – poetry terms.