paradigm

American  

[par-uh-dahym, -dim] / ˈpær əˌdaɪm, -dɪm /

noun

paradigms plural

1. 1. a framework containing the basic assumptions, ways of thinking, and methodology that are commonly accepted by members of a scientific community.

   2. such a cognitive framework shared by members of any discipline or group.

      The company’s business paradigm needs updating for a new generation.

2. Informal. a general mental model or framework for anything.

   Their first album completely blew apart my paradigm for what rock music could be.

3. an example serving as a model for others to imitate; pattern.

   Pelham Dairy’s 10-year aged cheddar is the paradigm of cheddars.

   Synonyms:

   touchstone, paragon, ideal, standard, mold

4. a typical or representative instance or example.

   His experimentalism and iconoclastic attitude towards the past make Picasso a paradigm of 20th century painting.

5. Grammar.

   1. a set of forms all of which contain a particular element, especially the set of all inflected forms based on a single stem or theme.

   2. a display in fixed arrangement of such a set, as boy, boy's, boys, boys'.

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paradigm British  

/ ˈpærəˌdaɪm, ˌpærədɪɡˈmætɪk /

noun

1. grammar the set of all the inflected forms of a word or a systematic arrangement displaying these forms

2. a pattern or model

3. a typical or stereotypical example (esp in the phrase paradigm case )

4. (in the philosophy of science) a very general conception of the nature of scientific endeavour within which a given enquiry is undertaken

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• paradigmatic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• paradigms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of paradigm

First recorded in 1475–85; from Late Latin paradigma “example,” from Greek parádeigma “pattern, model, precedent, example” (derivative of paradeiknýnai “to show side by side, compare”), equivalent to para- preposition and prefix + deik-, root of deiknýnai “to show, bring to light, prove” + -ma noun suffix denoting the result of an action; see para- ¹, deictic

Explanation

A paradigm is a standard, perspective, or set of ideas. A paradigm is a way of looking at something. The word paradigm comes up a lot in the academic, scientific, and business worlds. A new paradigm in business could mean a new way of reaching customers and making money. In education, relying on lectures is a paradigm: if you suddenly shifted to all group work, that would be a new paradigm. When you change paradigms, you're changing how you think about something.

Example Sentences

However, I do feel like, over generations, a paradigm was broken, and new sounds have been created that don’t necessarily abandon the roots of our music, but were created out of counterculture.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

At the center of the comparison is the prediction paradigm, one of the dominant theories in modern neuroscience.

From Science Daily • Jul. 1, 2026

“This was a paradigm paper for a whole generation of university students and grad students,” said Franta, who was also taught the “Wedges” paper as a graduate student at Harvard.

From Salon • Jun. 26, 2026

At a summit in Beijing last month, Xi Jinping asked Donald Trump if the countries could "transcend the so-called 'Thucydides Trap' and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations".

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

No one devised this grammar, and no one wrote down its rules, but they came to be generally understood for the simple reason that they were based on the paradigm case of geographical discovery.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton