paradox

[par-uh-doks]

noun

1. a statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

   “Less is more” is a paradox often repeated in the arts and other fields.

   It is a paradox of healthy grief that we must work at it while surrendering to it.

2. any person, thing, or situation displaying an apparently contradictory nature.

   In the media the candidate was called a paradox—an unpopular populist.

   Synonyms: riddle, anomaly, puzzle

3. a self-contradictory and false statement, especially one arising from seemingly acceptable premises and correct logical argument.

4. time paradox.

5. Also called paradox illusion. an optical illusion depicting an impossible object, often a two-dimensional figure that the viewer intuitively interprets as representing a three-dimensional one, but which cannot actually exist in three dimensions: brought to popular attention especially by the work of M. C. Escher.

6. Archaic.,  an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.

paradox

/ ˈpærəˌdɒks /

noun

1. a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement that is or may be true

   religious truths are often expressed in paradox

2. a self-contradictory proposition, such as I always tell lies

3. a person or thing exhibiting apparently contradictory characteristics

4. an opinion that conflicts with common belief

paradox

1. A statement that seems contradictory or absurd but is actually valid or true. According to one proverbial paradox, we must sometimes be cruel in order to be kind. Another form of paradox is a statement that truly is contradictory and yet follows logically from other statements that do not seem open to objection. If someone says, “I am lying,” for example, and we assume that his statement is true, it must be false. The paradox is that the statement “I am lying” is false if it is true.

Other Word Forms

• paradoxical adjective
• paradoxal adjective
• paradoxology noun
• paradoxically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of paradox¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Middle French paradoxe, from Latin paradoxum, from Greek parádoxon, noun use of neuter of parádoxos “contrary to expectation, unbelievable, beyond belief”; para- ¹ ( def. ), orthodox ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of paradox¹

C16: from Late Latin paradoxum, from Greek paradoxos opposed to existing notions, from _para- ¹ + doxa opinion

Example Sentences

This tension indeed “makes any thoughtful person sad,” but it will take the forthrightness of a Wallace and the moral depth of a Melville to confront this paradox seriously.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The study also helps explain the "exercise paradox," where a single intense workout causes stress but long-term training improves overall health.

Read more on Science Daily

Puzzles entice his keen intellect, but he will have to learn the difference between a paradox and a riddle.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

America’s territories have long been a paradox for a country that got its start by fighting off an imperialist foreign ruler.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But the paper does touch on how companies can get over what’s been called the AI productivity paradox, that productivity initially falls before rising as AI is implemented.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• absurdity 
• ambiguity 
• anomaly 
• enigma 
• inconsistency 
• mystery 
• oddity