Definition of oxymoro: A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear together
Definition of news: Newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent or important events.
Therefore, news cannot be old, so the word old contradicts the word news, therefore creating an oxymoron.
"Old news" is considered an oxymoron because it combines contradictory ideasβnews is typically associated with being current and up-to-date, while old conveys the opposite. It highlights the paradoxical nature of delivering something that is meant to be new and relevant but is actually outdated.
"Old news" is considered an oxymoron because news by definition is expected to be current and up-to-date. The term "old news" implies that it is no longer new or relevant, contradicting the typical nature of news.
George Carlin referred to "military intelligence" as an oxymoron in one of his comedy performances.
The antonym of an oxymoron is a tautology. For example: "almost exactly" is an oxymoron. "Tiny little" is a tautology.
The French Resistance
A living death
When two opposite words are used in one phrase. An example of an oxymoron is "clearly confused"
The term 'jumbo shrimp' is an example of an oxymoron. The term 'military intelligence' is not a true oxymoron, but it seems that way sometimes. He was not the first veterinarian to discover that a 'small elephant' was an oxymoron.
An 'austere clown' is an example of an oxymoron.
oxymoron
You must make haste slowly
An example of an oxymoron in The Cay by Theodore Taylor is "deafening silence." This phrase combines two contradictory words, as silence is typically associated with quietness, not loudness.
It would be an oxymoron.