Dictionary

paradigm en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈpæɹ.ə.daɪm/ without the Mary–marry–merry merger
• audio Queensland
• /ˈpæɹ.ə.daɪm/ (UK)
• (California) audio
• păr′ədīm (US)
• [ˈpɛɹ.daɪm] Mary–marry–merry merger
• [ˈpɛɹ.ə.dɑe̯m] (New-Zealand)
• /ˈpɛɹ.ə.daɪm/ Mary–marry–merry merger
• /ˈpæɹ.ə.dɑem/ (Australia)
• /ˈpɛɹ.ə.daɪm/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈpeɪ.ɹə.daɪm/ Mary–marry–merry merger

Etymology

From Middle English paradygme, from Late Latin paradīgma, from Ancient Greek παράδειγμα (parádeigma, “pattern”), from παραδείκνυμι (paradeíknumi, “I show [beside] or compare”) + -μα (-ma, suffix forming nouns concerning the results of actions). Doublet of paradigma.

Meanings

1. A pattern, a way of doing something; especially a pattern of thought, a system of beliefs, a conceptual framework.
   • Near-synonyms: style, model, worldview
   • At times, the assimilationist paradigm has facilitated the physical dispossession of Native lands and the suppression or eradication of Native institutions, culture, and identity by the political branches of the federal government. 2024 September 30, Michael Doran, “EXCEPTIONALISM AND ASSIMILATIONISM IN FEDERAL INDIAN LAW”, in Stanford Law School, volume 20, number 2, page 267, archived from the original on 24 Feb 2025:
   • Thomas Kuhn's landmark “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” got people talking about paradigm shifts, to the point the word itself now suggests an incomplete or biased perspective.
2. An example serving as the model for such a pattern; an exceptionally good or prototypical example of a pattern or group.
   • According to the Fourth Circuit, “Coca-Cola” is “the paradigm of a descriptive mark that has acquired secondary meaning”. 2000, Estate of William F. Jenkins v. Paramount Pictures Corp.:
   • Near-synonyms: template, exemplar, archetype, poster child; see also Thesaurus:exemplar, Thesaurus:model
   • DRT is a paradigm example of a dynamic semantic theory, […] 2003, Nicholas Asher, Alex Lascarides, Logics of Conversation, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 46:
3. A set of all forms which contain a common element, especially the set of all inflectional forms of a word or a particular grammatical category.
   • The paradigm of "to sing" is "sing, sang, sung". The verb "to ring" follows the same paradigm.

Forms

Deriveds

multiparadigm · multi-paradigm · paradigmatic · paradigm shift · paradigmaticism · paradigmatically · social conflict paradigm · paradigm leveling · metaparadigm · morphoparadigm · microparadigm · macroparadigm · paradigmal · paradigmatize

Synonyms

beau ideal · pattern · exemplar · worldview · paradigm · exemplar · poster child · exemplificator · instance · prototype · model · exemplar · template · paradigm · icon · quintessence · epitome · incarnation · representative · sample · paragon · example · archetype · case · archetype · style · epitome · Exhibit A · exemplification · quintessence · archetype · paradigma · embodiment · illustration · example · template · case in point · eponym · byspel · symbol · specimen · model · ur-type

Translations (118)

el κοσμοθεωρία (way of viewing reality) · af paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · it paradigma (way of viewing reality) · de Musterbeispiel (example serving as a model or pattern) · cs paradigma (way of viewing reality) · nl paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · cmn 範例 /范例 (way of viewing reality) · ar نَمَط (way of viewing reality) · ko 범례 (example serving as a model or pattern) · ru паради́гма (way of viewing reality) · de Flexionsmuster (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · sk vzor (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · iba paradigma (way of viewing reality) · nn paradigme (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · pl paradygmat (example serving as a model or pattern) · nl paradigma (way of viewing reality) · ko 범례 (way of viewing reality) · de Paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · ms paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · fi paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · mk паради́гма (example serving as a model or pattern) · bg пример (example serving as a model or pattern) · nb paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · ms paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · ro paradigmă (example serving as a model or pattern) · cmn 模範 /模范 (example serving as a model or pattern) · ru приме́р (example serving as a model or pattern) · fi maailmankatsomus (way of viewing reality) · ru паради́гма (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · fi ajatusmalli (example serving as a model or pattern) · da paradigme (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · fi paradigma (way of viewing reality) · ja 模範 (example serving as a model or pattern) · nn paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · de Flexionsschema (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · sq paradigmë (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · ar نُمُوذَج (example serving as a model or pattern) · id paradigma (way of viewing reality) · pl paradygmat (way of viewing reality) · cmn 典範 /典范 (example serving as a model or pattern) · is fyrirmynd (example serving as a model or pattern) · ca paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · tr paradigma (way of viewing reality) · bg парадигма (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · sv paradigm (way of viewing reality) · is viðmið (example serving as a model or pattern) · fr paradigme (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · ms paradigma (way of viewing reality) · pt paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · nb paradigme (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · fr paradigme (way of viewing reality) · rsk парадиґма (way of viewing reality) · nl denkkader (way of viewing reality) · cmn 範例 /范例 (example serving as a model or pattern) · de Sicht der Dinge (way of viewing reality) · ja 語形変化表 (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · nb paradigme (way of viewing reality) · de Paradigma (way of viewing reality) · it paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · fi taivutuskaava (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · pt paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · is beygingardæmi (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · ar مِثَال (example serving as a model or pattern) · ro paradigmă (way of viewing reality) · id paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · es paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · el παράδειγμα (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · rsk приклад (example serving as a model or pattern) · ka პარადიგმა (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · hy հարացույց (example serving as a model or pattern) · nn paradigma (way of viewing reality) · hy հարացույց (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · cmn 詞形變化表 /词形变化表 (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · rsk парадиґма (example serving as a model or pattern) · nn paradigme (way of viewing reality) · tr paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · ko 어형 변화표 (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · af paradigma (way of viewing reality) · id paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · mk паради́гма (way of viewing reality) · pt paradigma (way of viewing reality) · cs paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · nb paradigma (way of viewing reality) · grc παράδειγμα (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · ky парадигма (way of viewing reality) · da paradigme (way of viewing reality) · ar قِيَاس (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · cs pojetí (way of viewing reality) · is hugarfar (way of viewing reality) · cs vzor (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · ru паради́гма (example serving as a model or pattern) · hy հարացույց (way of viewing reality) · pl paradygmat (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · it paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · de Bezugssystem (way of viewing reality) · fi muotosarja (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · es paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · iba paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · ru образе́ц (example serving as a model or pattern) · tr paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · fi paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · de Weltanschauung (way of viewing reality) · cmn 範式 /范式 (way of viewing reality) · fo bendingarmynstur (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · ar آيَة (example serving as a model or pattern) · de Denkrahmen (way of viewing reality) · es paradigma (way of viewing reality) · de Beispiel (example serving as a model or pattern) · af paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · he פָּרָדִיגְמָה (example serving as a model or pattern) · ca paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element) · sk paradigma (way of viewing reality) · bg образец (example serving as a model or pattern) · fr paradigme (example serving as a model or pattern) · kk парадигма (way of viewing reality) · nl paradigma (example serving as a model or pattern) · ca paradigma (way of viewing reality) · iba paradigma (linguistics: all forms which contain a common element)