Classic Examples:
* "That was a deafening silence." (Deafening implies loud, but silence is the absence of sound.)
* "He's a living dead man." (Living and dead are opposites.)
* "The restaurant was a crowded desert." (Crowded implies many people, but desert implies emptiness.)
* "They're a pretty ugly couple." (Pretty and ugly are opposites.)
* "It's a bittersweet memory." (Sweet and bitter are opposites, describing a mix of positive and negative feelings.)
More Creative Examples:
* "The politician spoke with a truthful lie." (Truthful and lie are opposites, suggesting a misleading statement presented as fact.)
* "The old new car gleamed in the sunlight." (Old and new are opposites, referring to a new car that looks old.)
* "The jumbo shrimp was delicious." (Jumbo implies large, but shrimp are typically small.)
* "He's a poor millionaire." (Poor implies lack of money, but millionaire implies wealth.)
* "It was a serious joke." (Serious implies importance, but joke implies amusement.)
These examples demonstrate how oxymorons create a sense of irony, contrast, and often a deeper meaning or thought-provoking effect.