Definition of OXYMORON
: a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (ascruel kindness); broadly : something (as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements
Definition of understatement:
A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.Examples:
- "A soiled baby, with a neglected nose, cannot be conscientiously regarded as a thing of beauty."
(Mark Twain) - "I have to have this operation. It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain."
(Holden Caulfield in The Catcher In The Rye, by J. D. Salinger)
Definition of hyperbole:
A figure of speech (a form of irony) in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement.
