Defining an Oxymoron

The word [oxymoron], which appears in English for the first time in 1640, has an interesting etymology. In ancient Greek oxus means “sharp or pointed” and moros means “dull, stupid, or foolish.” So oxymoron is itself an oxymoron, literally meaning “a sharp dullness” or “pointed foolishness.”

Technically, the correct plural form of the word is oxymora, but so many people say oxymorons that (except for purists, pedants, and yours truly) it is now generally regarded as an acceptable usage.

The best examples of oxymoronica don’t contain a simple contradiction in terms; they contain…