paradox

noun

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par·a·dox | \ ˈper-ə-ˌdäks

, ˈpa-rə- \

Definition of paradox

1 : a tenet contrary to received opinion

2a : a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true

b : a self-contradictory statement that at first seems true

c : an argument that apparently derives self-contradictory conclusions by valid deduction from acceptable premises

3 : one (such as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases

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Examples of paradox in a Sentence

For the actors, the goal was a paradox: real emotion, produced on cue. — Claudia Roth Pierpont, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2008 Again and again, he returns in his writing to the paradox of a woman who is superior to the men around her by virtue of social class though considered inferior to them on account of her gender. — Terry Eagleton, Harper's, November 2007 She was certainly far from understanding him completely; his meaning was not at all times obvious. It was hard to see what he meant for instance by speaking of his provincial side—which was exactly the side she would have taken him most to lack. Was it a harmless paradox, intended to puzzle her? or was it the last refinement of high culture? — Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady, 1881 Mr. Guppy propounds for Mr. Smallweed's consideration the paradox that the more you drink the thirstier you are and reclines his head upon the window-sill in a state of hopeless languor. — Charles Dickens, Bleak House, 1852-53 It is a paradox that computers need maintenance so often, since they are meant to save people time. As an actor, he's a paradox—he loves being in the public eye but also deeply values and protects his privacy. a novel full of paradox

Recent Examples on the Web This is the paradox of WandaVision, whose first two (of nine) episodes will arrive on Disney+ on Friday, Jan. 15, with subsequent half-hours dropping weekly. — Judy Berman, Time, "WandaVision Deserves the Hype. But It Penalizes Casual Marvel Viewers With Confusion," 14 Jan. 2021 In a country so wildly diverse and fractured, unity through division is the paradox that fits. — Murray Whyte, BostonGlobe.com, "At Peabody Essex, a reset on South Asian art," 14 Jan. 2021 That absence of malignancy has been a long-standing oncological puzzle known as Peto's paradox. — Athena Aktipis, Scientific American, "How Evolution Helps Us Understand Cancer and Control It," 1 Jan. 2021 This is the great paradox of the chapel, that a building and a cycle of paintings designed explicitly for Catholic worship should make everyone feel at home. — Michael J. Lewis, WSJ, "Rothko in a New Light," 9 Dec. 2020 Scientists have debated this apparent contradiction (which has also been observed for Earth), known as the faint young Sun paradox, for decades. — Kate Baggaley, Popular Science, "The most life-friendly places on ancient Mars were deep below its surface," 3 Dec. 2020 The paradox is that 2020-21 would have been a season for the record books in Cortina, and elsewhere across Italy's Alps, where snow has been in abundance, Zardini said. — Colleen Barry, Star Tribune, "Mountain heartbreak: Italy has deep snow, closed ski resorts," 3 Feb. 2021 With Lockheed and Aerojet, the paradox is that preventing closer integration on competition grounds could also reduce scale benefits that the government itself might enjoy. — Jon Sindreu, WSJ, "Defense Deal Will Pose an Early Test for Biden Administration," 23 Dec. 2020 But this paradox is pervasive on Chromatica and is perhaps Gaga's way of illustrating that dance music can be cathartic. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "The 63 Best Songs of 2020 That Made Our Lives a Little Easier," 17 Dec. 2020

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