paradoxical

American

[par-uh-dok-si-kuhl] / ˌpær əˈdɒk sɪ kəl /

Rarely paradoxal

adjective

having the nature of a paradox; self-contradictory.
Medicine/Medical. not being the normal or usual kind.

Stimulants are a paradoxical, albeit effective, medication used for certain forms of hyperactivity.

Other Word Forms

nonparadoxical adjective
nonparadoxicalness noun
paradoxicality noun
paradoxically adverb
paradoxicalness noun
ultraparadoxical adjective
unparadoxal adjective
unparadoxical adjective

Etymology

Origin of paradoxical

paradox + -ical

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.

Former U.K. and Canada central banker White frets about the paradoxical relationship in the U.S. between the administration of Donald Trump and the dollar.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026

Mr. Trump is no Talleyrand himself, but his surprisingly successful paradoxical stance Talleyrand would appreciate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

"These results also provide a potential explanation for how stimulants treat hyperactivity, which previously seemed paradoxical," Dosenbach added.

From Science Daily • Dec. 29, 2025

In the end, the paradoxical title "I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki" may, in fact, be another way of saying, "I want to live."

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

The reader of Unweaving the Rainbow opens the book and is walloped with a reminder of the most dreadful fact we know, and on its heels a paradoxical elaboration.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023