antinomy
noun
an·tin·o·my
an-ˈti-nə-mē 
plural antinomies
1
: a contradiction between two apparently equally valid principles or between inferences correctly drawn from such principles
2
: a fundamental and apparently unresolvable conflict or contradiction
antinomies of beauty and evil, freedom and slavery—
Stephen Holden
Stephen HoldenExamples of antinomy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The antinomies of male and female, and the product of their union, seem very much on his mind during this period.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
The most recent developments in the Russian-Ukrainian war call forth similar antinomies.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 June 2023
The great Russian sociologist Yuri Levada theorized that antinomies—pairs of mutually exclusive beliefs—were key to understanding the Soviet totalitarian mentality.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 June 2023
By obliterating Twitter’s attempts at resolving the irreconcilable antinomy between good and bad virality, Musk has only ensured that the Chinese government can engage in viral spam to defeat viral attempts at amplifying domestic protests of CCP’s zero-Covid biosecurity regime.
—WIRED, 1 Dec. 2022
Civilization and barbarism is a classic antinomy in Argentine history, going all the way back to America’s conquest and the subsequent extermination of the native population in military campaigns.
—Jd Linville, Variety, 2 Nov. 2021
This demanded the forging of a new consciousness, one that would overcome the antinomies of subjective and objective, body and spirit, family and party.
—Marci Shore, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2017
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
The most recent developments in the Russian-Ukrainian war call forth similar antinomies.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 June 2023
The great Russian sociologist Yuri Levada theorized that antinomies—pairs of mutually exclusive beliefs—were key to understanding the Soviet totalitarian mentality.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 June 2023
By obliterating Twitter’s attempts at resolving the irreconcilable antinomy between good and bad virality, Musk has only ensured that the Chinese government can engage in viral spam to defeat viral attempts at amplifying domestic protests of CCP’s zero-Covid biosecurity regime.
—WIRED, 1 Dec. 2022
Civilization and barbarism is a classic antinomy in Argentine history, going all the way back to America’s conquest and the subsequent extermination of the native population in military campaigns.
—Jd Linville, Variety, 2 Nov. 2021
This demanded the forging of a new consciousness, one that would overcome the antinomies of subjective and objective, body and spirit, family and party.
—Marci Shore, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antinomy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Antinomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antinomy. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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