as in dichotomy
someone or something with qualities or features that seem to conflict with one another
the paradox of fighting a war for peace
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paradox
Social media’s vicious cycle Being highly inundated by and invested in social media has also exacerbated the readiness paradox.
—
Sydney Lake, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
The result is a troubling paradox.
—Deborah Archer, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
This is the apparent paradox at the heart of Mars' ancient history.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2026
And that’s the beautiful paradox of grief, really.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paradox
Sydney Lake, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
The result is a troubling paradox.
—Deborah Archer, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
This is the apparent paradox at the heart of Mars' ancient history.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2026
And that’s the beautiful paradox of grief, really.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paradox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paradox
Noun
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There is a cruel dichotomy that separates the haves—the rest of the world—from the Congolese and other people who inhabit the zones where the minerals that will power the future are mined.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
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That’s a false dichotomy that is being used to try to win an argument.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The film presents a fable in which a cop and a machine find their way through the maze of this mystery, essentially arguing that law enforcement should have access to this kind of surveillance.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
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Scientists may have solved a cosmic mystery that has been troubling them since the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) began observations back in 2022.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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How populists named what the centre wouldn't Marine Le Pen seized on the contradiction immediately.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The enigma of the past year was that this new phenomenon of an aggressive America did not cause a balance of threat.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
22 Jan. 2026
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Their sudden exit from the fossil record has remained one of anthropology’s most enduring enigmas, until now.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
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In another show, with a lesser writer, such incongruities could be read as character inconsistencies, accidental oversights, mistakes.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Jan. 2026
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That creates a certain level of incongruity on those campuses.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paradox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paradox. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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