The sentence is
Laughter was his way of expressing his alarm and despair.
I know this is the definition of an oxymoron:
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
And that seems like a reasonable fit; however, is it better to say that this is a paradox? Or should I just stick with irony?
Best Answer
It would be none of the above. The relevant definitions at play:
The closest match would be "irony" but the specific definition and application of "irony" is an oft debated topic. In this particular case, I don't find it a very accurate description.
Part of the reason for this, by the way, is that this particular behavior is ridiculously common. People often have strange behavior when nervous or afraid and attempting to deflect or cover up those feelings with laughter is fairly typical.