(A collection of English oxymorons collected by members of the forum and visitors to our blogs: An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear together.

With dictionary look up - double click on any word for its definition and pronunciation)

Special thanks to Elfish, Xeb, Hekner, Irene, Deementzee, Mark, Motaz, Naveen, Jarp, Javi, Richard, Sree and Varun, from the Learn English Forum.

Accidentally on purpose

Act naturally

Airline food

Alone together

Appear invisible

Bad health

Bagpipe music

Big sip

Bigger half

Bitter sweet

Black light

Boundless line

Burning ice

Business (Corporate) ethics / culture

Butt head

Charm offensive

Civil war

Classy strip club

Clearly misunderstood

Climb down

Completed research

Computer security

Conservative think tank

Cruel to be kind

Dark light

Deafening silence

Definite maybe

Diet beer

Dry ice

Dry whisky / wine / capuccino (Amatsu!)

Educated guess

Empty calories

Eurovision song contest

Exact estimate

Extinct life

Found missing

Free trade

Friendly fire

Fresh dried fruit / cheese / prunes

Full stop

Fun run

Genuine imitation

Glamorous hell. (Carol Ann Duffy)

Good grief

Going nowhere

Government organisation

Graphic language

High heels

Home school

Inside out

Instant classic

Intellectual property rights

Jogging in place

Jumbo mini / shrimp

Junk food

Just war

Knowledge management

Legally drunk

Light entertainment

Liquid gas

Live wire

Living dead / things

Long shorts

Long sleeve T-Shirt

Luxury bus

Luxury camping

Microsoft Works

Military intelligence

Mobile station

New and improved

New antiques

Night light

Now, then . .

Old news.

Only choice

Passive aggression

Peace force

Plastic glasses

Political science

Pretty ugly

Quiet riot

Randomly organized

Rap music

Real dream / acting

Reasonable force

Recorded knowledge

Relaxation exercise

Religious tolerance

Resident alien

Run slowly

Safe risk (The Black Dhalia)

Safety hazard

Sanitary landfill

Selfless ego

Shock therapy

Silence speaks volumes

Small crowd

Smart bomb

Soft as thunder (I dreamed a dream)

Soft punch

Soft rock

State worker

Student teachers

Sweet sorrow

Terribly pleased

Thinking out loud

Tight slacks

Trampled calmly (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde)

Upside down

VAT - value added tax

Vegetarian meatballs / bacon / chicken etc.

Virtual reality

Wall street

Well-know secret

White gold

Wireless cable

Working holiday / vacation