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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

paradox en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈpɛɹ.əˌdɑks/ Mary–marry–merry merger
  • /ˈpæ.ɹəˌdɒks/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈpæɹ.əˌdɑks/ without the Mary–marry–merry merger
  • (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle French paradoxe, from Latin paradoxum, from Ancient Greek παράδοξος (parádoxos, “unexpected, strange”).

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) An apparently self-contradictory statement, which can only be true if it is false, and vice versa.
    • "This sentence is false" is a paradox.
    • The active sense of living which we all enjoy, before reflection shatters our instinctive world for us, is self-luminous and suggests no paradoxes. 1909, William James, A pluralistic universe. Hibbert lectures, page 347:
    • According to one version of an ancient paradox, an Athenian is supposed to say "I am a liar." It is then argued that if the statement is true, then he is telling the truth, and is therefore not a liar […] 1962, Abraham Wolf, Textbook of Logic, page 255:
  2. (countable, uncountable) A counterintuitive conclusion or outcome.
    • It is an interesting paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.
    • The most fundamental paradox is that if we're never to use force, we must be prepared to use it and to use it successfully. 1983 May 21, Ronald Reagan, Presidential Radio Address:
  3. (countable, uncountable) A claim that two apparently contradictory ideas are true.
    • How quaint the ways of Paradox! / At common sense she gaily mocks! / Though counting in the usual way years twenty-one I've been alive, / Yet reck'ning by my natal day, / Yet reck'ning by my natal day, / I am a little boy of five! 1879, W. S. Gilbert, “The Pirates of Penzance”, in The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan, published 1941:
    • Not having a fashion is a fashion; that's a paradox.
  4. (countable, uncountable) A thing involving contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time.
  5. (countable, uncountable) A person or thing having contradictory properties.
    • You are a paradox of bitch and angel. 1999, Virginia Henley, A Year and a Day, →ISBN, page 315:
    • He is a paradox; you would not expect him in that political party.
  6. (countable, uncountable) An unanswerable question or difficult puzzle, particularly one which leads to a deeper truth.
    • And only by dismantling our preconceptions of age can we be free to understand the paradox: How young are the old? 1994, James Joseph Pirkl, Transgenerational Design, →ISBN, page 3:
  7. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) A statement which is difficult to believe, or which goes against general belief.
    • Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner / transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the / force of honesty can translate beauty into his / likeness: this was sometime a paradox, but now the / time gives it proof. 1594, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act III:
    • they contended to make that Maxim, that there is no faith to be held with Infidels, a meere and absurd Paradox [...]. 1615, Ralph Hamor, A True Discourse of the Present State of Virginia, Richmond, published 1957, page 3:
  8. (uncountable) The use of counterintuitive or contradictory statements (paradoxes) in speech or writing.
    • The need for paradox is no doubt rooted deep in the very nature of the use we make of language. 1906, Richard Holt Hutton, Brief Literary Criticisms, page 40:
  9. (uncountable) A state in which one is logically compelled to contradict oneself.
    • Thus, like modern disputants, they aimed either to confute the respondent or to land him in paradox. 1866, Edward Poste, Aristotle on Fallacies, Or, The Sophistici Elenchi, translation of original by Aristotle, page 43:
  10. (countable, qualifier:psychotherapy, uncountable) The practice of giving instructions that are opposed to the therapist's actual intent, with the intention that the client will disobey or be unable to obey.
    • Defiance-based paradox is employed so that the family will actively oppose and deliberately sabotage the prescription. 1988, Martin Lakin, Ethical Issues in the Psychotherapies, →ISBN, page 103:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
paradoxes Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

paradox sunflower · paradoxist · counterparadox · paradoxography · nonparadox · paradox acacia · paradessence

Hyponyms

Loyd's paradox · Grim Reaper paradox · Zeno's paradox · information paradox · Jevons paradox · Jevons' paradox · Parrondo's paradox · lek paradox · paradox of fiction · Achilles paradox · envelope paradox · Grelling-Nelson paradox · Richard's paradox · sorites paradox · Yablo's paradox · Bhartrhari's paradox · twins paradox · Ross-Littlewood paradox · infinite hotel paradox · Fermi paradox · Tullock paradox · gentle murder paradox · Hooper's paradox · bootstrap paradox · Levinthal's paradox · Berkson's paradox · Cuomo's paradox · Ehrenfest paradox · Arrow paradox · Peto's paradox · tea leaf paradox · Sagan's paradox · Baker's paradox · Galileo's paradox · St. Petersburg paradox · Condorcet's paradox · hydrostatic paradox · Löb's paradox · unexpected hanging paradox · archer's paradox · twin paradox · submarine paradox · Weyl's paradox · Gibson's paradox · Arrow's paradox · D'Alembert's paradox · exchange paradox · Simpson's paradox · Banach-Tarski paradox · paradox of thrift · Blub paradox · Klein paradox · birthday paradox · Easterlin paradox · Epimenides paradox · Berry paradox · Pepsi paradox · Abilene paradox · Burali-Forti paradox · clock paradox · potato paradox · C-value paradox · Moravec's paradox · arrow paradox · hangman paradox · Condorcet paradox · diamond-water paradox · Hawking's paradox · Stein's paradox · Olbers' paradox · boy or girl paradox · Ellsberg paradox · surprise test paradox · paradox of saving · Russell's paradox · interesting number paradox · Allais paradox · liar's paradox · Girard's paradox · observer's paradox · Bertrand's paradox · raven paradox · Smale's paradox · Benardete's paradox · Saint Petersburg paradox · paradox of tolerance · barn-pole paradox · barber paradox · European paradox · d'Alembert's paradox · micro-macro paradox · Newcomb's paradox · necktie paradox · region-beta paradox · Siegel's paradox · Hempel's paradox · ladder paradox · French paradox · Supplee's paradox · liar paradox · Polchinski's paradox · Curry's paradox · Loschmidt's paradox · grandfather paradox · Petersburg paradox · causal loop paradox

Relateds

paradoxism · paradoxology · paradoxician · paradoxically · paradoxling · paradoxical · paradoxy

Synonyms

reverse psychology (therapy practice) · contradiction (person or thing with contradictory properties) · enigma (unanswerable question) · quandary (unanswerable question) · juxtaposition (person or thing with contradictory properties) · puzzle (unanswerable question) · koan (unanswerable question) · shocker (counterintuitive outcome) · riddle (unanswerable question)

Translations (99)

tr çelişki (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · yi פּאַראַדאָקס (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · sh парадокс (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · nl tegenspraak (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · ko 패러독스 (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ja 矛盾 (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · cmn 矛盾 (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · vi nghịch lý (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · kk оғаштық (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · az paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · es paradoja (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · pt paradoxo (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ca paradoxa (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · gd frith-chosamhlachd (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ja パラドックス (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · fi paradoksi (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ru парадо́кс (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · el παραδοξολογία (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · sl paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ast paradoxa (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · mk парадо́кс (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · sv paradox (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · cmn 矛盾 (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ja パラドックス (person or thing with contradictory properties) · cmn 悖論 /悖论 (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · bn হেঁয়ালি (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · be парадо́кс (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · hi असत्याभास (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · pl paradoks (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · sl paradoks (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · fi paradoksi (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · vi nghịch lý (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · fr antinomie (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · hy պարադոքս (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · es paradoja (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · tk paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · az نامعقوللق (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · da paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ko 자가당착 (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · pl paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ko 모순 (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · tr paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · gl paradoxo (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · la paradoxum (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · cmn 矛盾的事物 (person or thing with contradictory properties) · ca paradox (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ja 矛盾 (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · tr çelişki (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · gd frith-chosamhlachd (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · pt paradoxo (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · ja パラドックス (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · th ปฏิทรรศน์ (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · lt paradoksas (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · nl paradox (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · sv paradox (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · kk оғаштық (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · fi kummajainen (person or thing with contradictory properties) · el αντίφαση (person or thing with contradictory properties) · ka პარადოქსი (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · tl baligho (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · id paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · tr paradoks (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · hy հարակարծություն (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · af paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ko 역설 (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · uk парадо́кс (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · cmn 佯謬 /佯谬 (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · ja 逆説 (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · de Paradoxon (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · cmn 悖論 /悖论 (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · nl paradox (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · af paradoks (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · he פרדוקס (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ro paradox (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · ar مُفَارَقَة (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · cmn 矛盾的事情 (person or thing with contradictory properties) · no paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · sl protislovje (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · cmn 矛盾的人 (person or thing with contradictory properties) · ar مُفَارَقَة (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · cmn 佯謬 /佯谬 (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · fr paradoxe (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · oc paradòxa (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · sh paradoks (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · it paradosso (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · kk парадокс (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · el παράδοξο (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · bg парадо́кс (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · de Paradox (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · gd paradacs (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · eo paradokso (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · hu paradoxon (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · fr paradoxe (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · yi פּאַראַדאָקס (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · gd paradacs (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · lv paradokss (in logic: a self-contradictory statement) · lv paradokss (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · cs paradox (apparent contradiction which is nonetheless true) · de Paradoxon (in logic: a self-contradictory statement)