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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4 |
I'm looking for a word that's the opposite of oxymoron. It would mean a word that goes with another word and matches perfectly, almost to the point of redundancy. I'm part Irish and I like to drink, I'm an Irish drinker. Happy grin.
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 203
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 203 |
What about :
correlative
noun grammar
Corresponding to each other and regularly used together
A word or concept that has a mutual relationship with another word or concept; ; mutually related
Indicating a reciprocal or complementary relationship: a correlative conjunction; expressing a reciprocal or complementary relation.
[medieval Latin correlativus from cor- together and relativus (see relative )]
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
You may have answered your own question:-? or just about. Dictionary.com has an interesting usage note on the word 'redundancy' which includes:
'..the use of what is regarded as an unnecessary modifier or qualifier can sometimes be justified on the grounds that it in fact makes a semantic contribution. Thus a hollow tube can be distinguished from one that has been blocked up with deposits...'
This applies to your 'happy grin'. For it could be a mischievous grin, couldn't it.
But you might like self-reflexive usages like a superfluous redundancy, or a redundant tautology:-). But you could glean some other opposites for oxymoron, depending on how exactly you want to define your oxymoron (literally 'pointedly foolish'), but the obvious answers seem fine for 'positive optimists' and the like.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
a word that goes with another word and matches perfectly - there is one of these greek-latin hybrids that probably comes close: epitheton ornans .
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788 |
I thought an epitheton ornans was a descriptive name after a proper name which became part of the proper name, as in William the Conqueror, Jimmy the Greek, Vlad the Impaler or Aethelred the Unready.
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230 |
Quote:
I thought an epitheton ornans was a descriptive name after a proper name which became part of the proper name, as in William the Conqueror, Jimmy the Greek, Vlad the Impaler or Aethelred the Unready.
Isn't that a rather subjective process though? Sometimes the epithet's status as part of the name may be less than universally accepted. For example, there are many people in India who do not consider Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to have been a Mahatma.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788 |
there are many people in India who do not consider Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to have been a Mahatma.
... which explains why some people say Saint Thomas More and some people say Sir Thomas More and some people just say Thomas More.
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
Quote:
there are many people in India who do not consider Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to have been a Mahatma.
... which explains why some people say Saint Thomas More and some people say Sir Thomas More and some people just say Thomas More.
Or just Pity.
TEd
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