SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

antinomy

noun an·tin·o·my \ an-ˈti-nə-mē \

Definition of antinomy

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

—

antinomic

play \ˌan-ti-ˈnä-mik\ adjective

Recent Examples of antinomy from the Web

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, "The Russian Revolution Recast as an Epic Family Tragedy," 18 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antinomy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of antinomy

German Antinomie, from Latin antinomia conflict of laws, from Greek, from anti- + nomos law — more at nimble

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1592

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Learn More about antinomy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about antinomy

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up antinomy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

cajole

play

to coax or persuade

BROWSE DICTIONARY

antinome

antinomian

antinomy

antinous release

antinovel

Test Your Vocabulary

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of raillery?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-5b06e60511014

'Deprived' vs. 'Depraved'

Nobody wants to be either.

alt-5b05d8545c817

'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

Tag the way you want to tag.

12 Words from All Over the Map

Some words say exactly where they're from

alt-5b032d1aef0e9

'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

One's clever, the other's like a child

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words

Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

We’re already at the end of May?!

Take the quiz

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz

Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game