paradoxical

adjective

par·​a·​dox·​i·​cal ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl 

ˌpa-rə-

1

a

: of the nature of a paradox

the paradoxical theory that global warming will lead to the next Ice Age

b

: inclined to paradoxes

2

: not being the normal or usual kind

a paradoxical pulse

paradoxical drug reactions

paradoxicality

ˌper-ə-ˌdäk-si-ˈka-lə-tē 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

paradoxically

ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-k(ə-)lē 

ˌpa-rə-

adverb

paradoxicalness

ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl-nəs 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

Examples of paradoxical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The latest raft of economic data, too, gives a somewhat paradoxical account of today’s economy. —Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 14 Nov. 2025

Staples explains his paradoxical perspective on this week’s episode of Good One. —Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025

Some banks, meanwhile, began rationing supplies, a somewhat paradoxical result of the effort to address what many see as a glut of the coins. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025

In the twenty-first century, the Jesuit moralist’s identification protocol is a paradoxical exercise in normalization. —Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing paradoxical

• paradoxical sleep

Medical Definition

paradoxical

adjective

par·​a·​dox·​i·​cal ˌpar-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl 

variants also paradoxic

-sik 

: not being the normal or usual kind

a paradoxical embolism