The conjunction of words which, at first view, seem to be contradictory or incongruous, but whose surprising juxtaposition expresses a truth or dramatic effect, such as, cool fire, deafening silence, wise folly, etc Sidelight: An oxymoron is similar to a paradox, but more compact, usually consisting of just two successive words (See also Catachresis, Enallage, Malapropism, Mixed Metaphor, Synesthesia)
/ apparent paradox achieved by the juxtaposition of words which seem to contradict one another *I must be cruel only to be kind Shakespeare, Hamlet (A Glossary of Rhetorical Terms with Examples, Ross Scaife)
A paradox reduced to two words, usually in an adjective-noun ("eloquent silence") or adverb-adjective ("inertly strong") relationship, and is used for effect, to emphasize contrasts, incongruities, hypocrisy, or simply the complex nature of reality Examples: wise fool, ignorantly learned, laughing sadness, pious hate
If you describe a phrase as an oxymoron, you mean that what it refers to combines two opposite qualities or ideas and therefore seems impossible. This has made many Americans conclude that business ethics is an oxymoron. a deliberate combination of two words that seem to mean the opposite of each other, such as 'cruel kindness' (oxys + moros )