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
As a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University a few years ago, Alexa Schmitz was trying to solve a paradox: To reduce the greenhouse gas emissions warming the Earth, the world needed new energy sources, like solar and wind power.
—
Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 5 May 2025
Here, Todd has his youngest character summarize the painful central paradox of trans life — in Nazi Germany nearly a century ago, and possibly in tomorrow’s America.
—Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Israel’s mistrust of Shara’s government constitutes another paradox.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2025
The ideal of defining masculinity for yourself is framed as liberating, but ignores a central paradox: boys are expected to be both successful and emotionally available, while the paths to achieving either feel increasingly out of reach.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paradox
Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 5 May 2025
Here, Todd has his youngest character summarize the painful central paradox of trans life — in Nazi Germany nearly a century ago, and possibly in tomorrow’s America.
—Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Israel’s mistrust of Shara’s government constitutes another paradox.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2025
The ideal of defining masculinity for yourself is framed as liberating, but ignores a central paradox: boys are expected to be both successful and emotionally available, while the paths to achieving either feel increasingly out of reach.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paradox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paradox
Noun
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The vast sculpture was exhibited at White Cube in 2024 and recalls Egon Schiele’s drawing of a nude woman bent over and viewed from behind, creating a dichotomy of vulnerability and longing.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
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Siena Kelly and Rosy McEwen are both aces as former classmates who cross paths years later in their workplace, raising chewy questions about the lingering effects of schoolyard trauma that challenge the villain-victim dichotomy.—
Christian Holub,
EW.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Joseph Vacher was executed via guillotine after he was found guilty of murder, but the true number of his victims remains a mystery Few know the name Joseph Vacher — even though his crimes surpassed those of the world’s most infamous serial killers.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
18 May 2025
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The identity of the man in the photo remained a mystery to the outside world until USA TODAY sought clarification from federal officials.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
Noun
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At the same time, good hip-hop love songs are messy and irrational and full of contradictions.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
2 May 2025
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This juxtaposition—and apparent contradiction—seems to be everywhere at the moment.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
2 May 2025
Noun
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The new research resolves a two-decade-long enigma relating to a bright flash that was observed coming from the magnetar SGR 1806-20—which lies some 42,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Sagittarius—back in late 2004.—
Ian Randall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
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Just like the woman herself, Melania Trump’s wedding dress is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Kirby’s incongruity is terrifying, so said someone much wiser than me.—
Mitch Wallace,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2025
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Crumb’s gawky, eccentric persona was first revealed to the wider public in a 1994 documentary made by his friend Terry Zwigoff, which portrays the cartoonist with all of his incongruities.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paradox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paradox. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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