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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Recent Examples of paradox
But the paradox of AI progress is that all the commercial success of generative AI might actually stretch out the timeline and delay whatever comes after generative AI.
—
Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 21 Jan. 2026
There’s a paradox where being in the details sounds like micromanagement.
—Christopher Dilella, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Here was the paradox: the court didn’t want death sentences to be imposed in an arbitrary fashion, and states were not supposed to limit factors that could be considered in mitigation, but this meant mitigating factors could be potentially limitless.
—Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paradox
Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 21 Jan. 2026
There’s a paradox where being in the details sounds like micromanagement.
—Christopher Dilella, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026
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
Here was the paradox: the court didn’t want death sentences to be imposed in an arbitrary fashion, and states were not supposed to limit factors that could be considered in mitigation, but this meant mitigating factors could be potentially limitless.
—Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paradox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paradox
Noun
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Carlile acknowledged that possible dichotomy between girls just wanting to have fun and just wanting to fret about the world in her opening toast (following a land-acknowledgement prelude overseen by Mexican hosts).—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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That dichotomy opens it up to be included in a wide range of styles.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Originally, this was a great mystery, as cosmic rays were known to be composed almost exclusively of protons, and the theoretical limit on a proton that traveled through intergalactic space should forbid such excessively high energies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
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However, the exact source of these jets around their black hole central engines and the precise mechanism powering them is still something of a mystery.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The contradiction at the heart of this moment is that many restaurants appear to be flourishing.—
Lela London,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Like the city’s many seeming contradictions, they are meant to coexist.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Yet despite their impressive size, encounters with these enigmas remain exceedingly rare due to the myriad of challenges of studying deep-sea sharks.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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What adds another layer of enigma is that when sleeping, animals become less aware of their surroundings and more vulnerable to predators.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
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 4 Feb. 2026.
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