contradiction in terms

contradiction in terms
noun
(logic) a statement that is necessarily false
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the statement `he is brave and he is not brave' is a contradiction

Syn: ↑contradiction
Topics: ↑logic
Hypernyms: ↑falsehood, ↑falsity, ↑untruth
Hyponyms: ↑antinomy, ↑paradox

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contradiction in terms
A group of words containing a contradiction
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Main Entry:contradict

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contradiction in terms,
a statement or phrase which is self-contradictory: »

A virtuous tyrant is a contradiction in terms (Benjamin Jowett).

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a statement or group of words associating objects or ideas that are incompatible

"true fiction" is a contradiction in terms

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contradiction in terms
: a phrase that contains words which have very different or opposite meanings

I think “working vacation” is a contradiction in terms.

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Main Entry:contradiction
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contradiction in terms — see contradiction
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Main Entry:term

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • contradiction in terms — ► contradiction in terms a statement or group of words associating incompatible objects or ideas. Main Entry: ↑contradiction …   English terms dictionary

  • contradiction of terms — index non sequitur Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • contradiction in terms — noun A phrase or expression in which the component words contradict one another, often unintentionally, or are claimed to do so when seen from a particular point of view. A miniature giant is a contradiction in terms. Syn: contradiction, oxymoron …   Wiktionary

  • contradiction in terms — a statement or group of words associating incompatible objects or ideas. → contradiction …   English new terms dictionary

  • contradiction in terms — opposition, oxymoron, two things that are directly opposed to one another …   English contemporary dictionary

  • contradiction in terms — A phrase of which the parts are expressly inconsistent, as e.g., an innocent murder ; a fee simple for life …   Black's law dictionary

  • contradiction in terms — A phrase of which the parts are expressly inconsistent, as e.g., an innocent murder ; a fee simple for life …   Black's law dictionary

  • contradiction in terms — An expression which contradicts itself …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • (a) contradiction in terms — a contradiction in terms phrase a statement consisting of words that mean opposite things ‘Fair taxes’, a contradiction in terms if ever there was one. Thesaurus: statements and announcementshyponym Main entry: contradiction * * * a… …   Useful english dictionary

  • (a) contradiction in terms — a phrase that is confusing because it contains words that seem to have opposite meanings. A British summer is a bit of a contradiction in terms. Euro Disney always seems to me a contradiction in terms because Disney is so typically American …   New idioms dictionary

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