Dictionary.com

aporia

[ uh-pawr-ee-uh, uh-pohr- ]
/ əˈpɔr i ə, əˈpoʊr- /

noun, plural a·po·ri·as, a·po·ri·ae [uh-pawr-ee-ee, uh-pohr-]. /əˈpɔr iˌi, əˈpoʊr-/.

Rhetoric. the expression of a simulated or real doubt, as about where to begin or what to do or say.
Logic, Philosophy. a difficulty encountered in establishing the theoretical truth of a proposition, created by the presence of evidence both for and against it.

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Origin of aporia

1580–90; <Late Latin <Greek: state of being at a loss, equivalent to ápor(os) impassable (see a-6, pore2) + -ia-ia

Words nearby aporia

apoplexy, apoprotein, apoptosis, apopyle, aporepressor, aporia, aport, aposematic, aposematic coloration, aposiopesis, apospory
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for aporia

British Dictionary definitions for aporia

aporia
/ (əˈpɔːrɪə) /

noun

rhetoric a doubt, real or professed, about what to do or say
philosophy puzzlement occasioned by the raising of philosophical objections without any proffered solutions, esp in the works of Socrates

Derived forms of aporia

aporetic (ˌæpəˈrɛtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for aporia

C16: from Greek, literally: a state of being at a loss
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012