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
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
Especially because the paradoxes only get stronger from Scorpio to Pisces.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 17 Sep. 2025
Through awe-inspiring visuals and a narration from the filmmaker combining poetry, science and emotions, the film explores the paradoxes of our time.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
This engagement was rife with paradoxes and contradictions.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
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
Especially because the paradoxes only get stronger from Scorpio to Pisces.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 17 Sep. 2025
Through awe-inspiring visuals and a narration from the filmmaker combining poetry, science and emotions, the film explores the paradoxes of our time.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
This engagement was rife with paradoxes and contradictions.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paradoxes
Noun
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One skipped school day exposes the fractures of a family grieving in silence and the contradictions of love that shape her girlhood.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
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The creative process is supposed to be risky, messy, full of contradictions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Buoyed by this success, Congress established a series of primate research centers in the nineteen-sixties, hoping that our closest living relatives might help solve other medical mysteries, from Alzheimer’s to Zika.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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Melissa's mysteries capture interest Hurricane scientists watched with a familiar feeling of dread as Melissa traversed the Caribbean.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
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Over time, the fate of the footage has become one of the biggest enigmas in Hollywood history.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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 21 Nov. 2025.
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