Definition of "contradiction in terms" [contradiction in terms]

• A phrase or expression in which the component words contradict one another, often unintentionally, or are claimed to do so when seen from a particular point of view. (noun)

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• "TruPro had never been a reputable agency — almost a contradiction in terms anyway — but over the last year it had become mob-controlled, run by the appropriately named Ache brothers of New York City."
• "Founded at a time when we were constantly reminded how the world around us was separate and unequal ... when the idea of legal rights for black folks was almost a contradiction in terms ... when lunch counters and bus seats and water fountains were luxuries you had to fight for and march for, the 50th anniversary of the Fight for Freedom Dinner reminds us of just how far our struggle has come."
• "Perhaps that is because the term dried plum juice is a contradiction in terms too grotesque for even the federal government."