paradoxically

American

[par-uh-dok-sik-lee] / ˌpær əˈdɒk sɪk li /

adverb

in a self-contradictory or seemingly self-contradictory way.

Paradoxically, the more we know, the more we identify an increasing number of questions to which we as yet have no answers.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of paradoxically

paradoxical ( def. ) + -ly

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.

See Examples For:

paradoxically

The moon offers a rare opportunity to study the early history of the solar system, he said, but, paradoxically, "our activity can actually hinder scientific exploration."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

"We have become so accustomed to excess that, paradoxically, today we welcome a forecast of 34C as good news."

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

The fact that retail investors have been wary of the rally is paradoxically good news.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026

The decrease was driven, paradoxically, by cleaner air.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

So, paradoxically, smaller black holes might actually turn out to be easier to detect than large ones!

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

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