paradox

American  

[par-uh-doks] / ˈpær əˌdɒks /

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.

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paradox British  

/ 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

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paradox Cultural  

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.

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of paradox

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. )

Example Sentences

Scientists call this puzzling pattern the "centromere paradox."

From Science Daily

He’s always been a paradox: a source of endless charisma about whom it’s virtually impossible to discern anything concrete.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps the greatest paradox about understanding “the woods” is that so many who enjoy it, or seem to enjoy it, spend most of their time trying to kill parts of it.

From Literature

Many people's annoyance at having to accept cookies when they visit a new website is an illustration of what is sometimes called the "privacy paradox".

From BBC

“While labeled the ‘mother of all disruptions,’ this posturing reveals a critical paradox,” said Naveen Das, senior crude analyst at Kpler.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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