I read a recent article in the Atlantic about William F. Buckley written by his friend Garry Wills which stated that he (Buckley) liked word games and that his fondness for big words sometimes caused him to use a word when he was unsure of its meaning. Wills claims that he misused the word "oxymoron" to mean a "contradiction" whereas its true meaning from the Greek is as "something that is surprisingly true, a paradox". My Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives only Buckley's definition and sites the origin from "oxys" (sharp,keen) and "moros" (foolish). This seems more in line with the typical usage and the one used by Buckley. Martha, can you help me out with this one? This also brings up the larger question in my mind: why do erroneous meanings gain currency and why aren't they nipped in the bud?
Not sure where Wills is coming from on this; the OED also provides a definition that agrees with Buckley:
1. Rhetoric. A figure of speech in which a pair of opposed or markedly contradictory terms are placed in conjunction for emphasis.
2. More generally: a contradiction in terms.
I thought it meant people who buy laundry products from television barkers.
Wills claims that he misused the word “oxymoron†to mean a “contradiction†whereas its true meaning from the Greek is as “something that is surprisingly true, a paradoxâ€.
Wills is right: oxymoron does not mean a contradiction. Rather, oxymorons comprise contradictory terms, and they do often reveal “something that is surprisingly true, a paradox.†A contradiction is not the same as a contradiction of terms. Consider deafening silence, cruel kindness, falsely true, same difference, extremely average, idiot savant, and poor little rich girl. The word oxymoron itself is an oxymoron.
Can anyone provide an example of the word oxymoron being used to mean a contradiction? I'm not sure that I've seen it used incorrectly.
In addition, does Wills provide an actual example of Buckley using oxymoron incorrectly? Some Googling about leads to this example of what I'd call correct usage:
"...it was during the years of their martial Quakerism - if Professor Vivas will permit the oxymoron."