Oxymoron is basically one of figures of speech and an oxymoron emerges from the combination of contradictory terms. We can find a variety of oxymoron in different contexts and many examples are found in inadvertent errors, deliberate puns. In terms of literature oxymorons are coined to reveal a paradox.
Well before going farther on the bumpy road of reading this article you must make yourself familiar with terms like pretty ugly (the article) and extremely average (writing style).
While most common forms of oxymoron are coined by joining an adjective with a noun. Have a look at the following line from Idylls of the King by Tennyson;
And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true
Have you ever come across terms like failed success, safe risks, living dead, dark light, almost exactly? If answer is yes, then you are already familiar with oxymoron.
Oxymorons are not always coined with a pair of worlds that carry opposite meanings. It can also be devised by using words in such a way that they convey the contradictory meanings. Have a look at these two lines from Summer Night by Nathan Alterman and you would scratch your head for the horribly beautiful use of words;
One fine day in the middle of the night,
Two dead boys got up to fight,
According to Oxford English Dictionary, oxymoron was derived from Latin oxymoron which was derived from ancient Greek ‘oxus’ and ‘moros’ (sharp and dull)
Writers use oxymorons to fetch attention of the readers to apparent contradictions. Presently writers use oxymorons to highlight contradictions in the political world, like honest politicians, failed hopeful and pretty ugly politics.
Oxymoron