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

Derived Forms

• paradoxical
  adjective
• paradoxically
  adverb
• paradoxal
  adjective
• 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”; see para- ¹ ( def. ), orthodox ( def. )

Explanation

Here's a mind-bender: "This statement is false." If you think it's true, then it must be false, but if you think it's false, it must be true. Now that's a paradox! A paradox is a logical puzzler that contradicts itself in a baffling way. "This statement is false" is a classic example, known to logicians as "the liar's paradox." Paradoxical statements may seem completely self-contradictory, but they can be used to reveal deeper truths. When Oscar Wilde said, "I can resist anything except temptation," he used a paradox to highlight how easily we give in to tempting things while imagining that we can hold firm and resist them.

Example Sentences

These refuges may help explain Reid's Paradox -- how forests were able to spread so quickly across the region after the last Ice Age ended.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2026

Paradox defines a character who feels tainted yet knows herself to be pure.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025

Acquisitions Paradox and Sana are expected to contribute 1.5 percentage points to the 15.5% subscription revenue growth in the fiscal fourth quarter.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

“Sadly, we have limited control over the mod’s development, content or distribution,” a Paradox spokesperson said, adding that the company was surprised and disappointed that its game was being used in this way.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2025

He could not go astern until the Paradox was safely under way.

From Rounding up the Raider A Naval Story of the Great War by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)

Related Words

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