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Paradigm comes from the Greek verb paradeiknynai, meaning “to show side by side.” It has been used in English to mean “example” or “pattern” since the 15th century. There is debate, however, about what kind of example qualifies as a paradigm. Some people say it’s a typical example, while others insist it must be an outstanding or perfect example. The scientific community has added to the confusion by using paradigm to mean “a theoretical framework,” a sense popularized by American scientist Thomas S. Kuhn in the second edition of his influential book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1962. Some usage commentators now advise avoiding the term entirely on the grounds that it is overused, but we contend that it can sometimes make a useful, conversation-enriching replacement for idea, theory, or concept, as in “an article about sandwiches that shifts the paradigm by including hot dogs.”
Examples of paradigm in a Sentence
Jim Holt, New York Times Book Review, 15 Feb. 2009
Such problems drive home a critical flaw in the paradigm of energy independence—namely, that energy isn't a zero-sum game anymore.
—Paul Roberts, Mother Jones, May/June 2008
That the biomedical paradigm of single cause and single disease was a chimera was well understood by even its most vigorous advocates.
—Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007
Her recent book provides us with a new paradigm for modern biography.
the Freudian paradigm of psychoanalysis
a new study that challenges the current evolutionary paradigm
Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
This is a 60-year paradigm being retired.
—Nagesh Nama, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
When reconstructing the Inquisition trial of a sixteenth-century northern Italian miller, historian Carlo Ginzburg encountered a line that would eventually inspire the title of his paradigm-shifting study The Cheese and the Worms.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Even under the current paradigm, the mayor has struggled to exercise control over the executive appointment process at the CTA.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for paradigm
Cite this Entry
“Paradigm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradigm. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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paradigm
noun
