paradigm shift
Americannoun
-
a dramatic change in the paradigm of a scientific community, or a change from one scientific paradigm to another.
-
a significant change in the paradigm of any discipline or group.
Putting skilled, tenured teachers in failing schools would cause a paradigm shift in teaching and education.
noun
Etymology
Origin of paradigm shift
First recorded in 1970–75
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If the climber is found guilty it could mean "a paradigm shift for mountain sports", says Austria's Der Standard newspaper.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
This paradigm shift, along with the introduction of robust federal funding, reversed the cycle and made American universities the place for students seeking to change the world—and America the country where they did it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
"I think it's a bit of a paradigm shift for us," Caratelli said.
From Science Daily • Jan. 12, 2026
"We have considerably tightened our immigration policy. We can probably even talk about a paradigm shift in this regard," Finland's Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told AFP.
From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025
You could see he was enjoying the paradigm shift.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
