a contradiction in terms

contradiction in terms

A phrase or expression that causes confusion because it contains words or ideas that contradict each other; an oxymoron. Jumbo shrimp is such a contradiction in terms.See also: contradiction, term

a contraˌdiction in ˈterms

a statement or description containing two words or phrases that contradict each other’s meaning: They call their project ‘a peace offensive’, which seems to me a contradiction in terms.See also: contradiction, term