as in contradictions
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 paradoxes
Thin lids of ice could have sheltered lakes on ancient Mars and kept surface water liquid even as the Red Planet's climate became freezing, according to new research that could solve one of the greater paradoxes of Martian history.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2026
Those paradoxes of her personality?
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Dec. 2025
Yet the strategy document inadvertently illustrates the internal contradictions and the paradoxes of the world Trump wants.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2025
Relational quantum mechanics uses similar ideas to make sense of all quantum paradoxes in a precise mathematical way.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025
And the most powerful constraints are often paradoxes that can’t be resolved — only engaged.
—Big Think, 27 Oct. 2025
In a hotel room, a melancholy sabra in his forties muses over the paradoxes of the historical destiny of the Jews.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
The film lays bare the tensions and paradoxes of nuclear deterrence, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, which advocates for nuclear arms control.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
It can be built, measured, and lived through five core competencies—each of which enables HR to manage paradoxes rather than collapse them.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2026
Those paradoxes of her personality?
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Dec. 2025
Yet the strategy document inadvertently illustrates the internal contradictions and the paradoxes of the world Trump wants.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2025
Relational quantum mechanics uses similar ideas to make sense of all quantum paradoxes in a precise mathematical way.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025
And the most powerful constraints are often paradoxes that can’t be resolved — only engaged.
—Big Think, 27 Oct. 2025
In a hotel room, a melancholy sabra in his forties muses over the paradoxes of the historical destiny of the Jews.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
The film lays bare the tensions and paradoxes of nuclear deterrence, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, which advocates for nuclear arms control.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
It can be built, measured, and lived through five core competencies—each of which enables HR to manage paradoxes rather than collapse them.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paradoxes
Noun
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Tracing Bundy’s reign of terror over the years, Rule grapples with the contradictions of the killer.—
Rebecca Hannigan,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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But Semprevivo, pointing out several contradictions or inaccuracies on things like dates, said Powell had ample opportunity to correct the deposition record and failed to do so.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In truth, the mysteries and compromises of mapping New York are evident every day.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
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The gang was younger, the mysteries were smaller, and everything felt lighter.—
Alex Shoemaker,
Parents,
4 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
Noun
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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
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Further enigmas can be found elsewhere on public lands, including within state parks, recreational areas, and more.—
Mike Bezemek,
Outside,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These false dichotomies are exhausting.—
Chris Schembra,
Rolling Stone,
30 Dec. 2025
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Desai’s multipart meet-cute lets her challenge neat old-world–new-world dichotomies.—
Sanjena Sathian,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paradoxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paradoxes. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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