paradox

noun

ˈper-ə-ˌdäks How to pronounce paradox (audio)
Definition of paradoxnext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paradox Issues explored here are the racist roots of American real estate, the rise of the civil rights movement, the price paid by radicals who risk their personal safety for a cause, and the paradoxes of gentrification. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 One proposal to resolve the paradox is the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 Her account opens with an acute examination of the paradoxes of willing (an example of how boldly this memoir follows its philosophical interests). — James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 The success paradox The better AI becomes, the more the nature of human work changes. — Murugan Anandarajan, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paradox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paradox
  1. dichotomy
  2. mystery
  3. contradiction
  4. enigma
  5. incongruity
Noun
  • This can set up an easy dichotomy in which one of the items is good, and the other, by being its opposite, is bad.
    — Shayla Love, Vox, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Thinking about that dichotomy laid the groundwork for the honest-to-goodness songwriting on Rent Money.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of dichotomy
Noun
  • But genuinely funny moments are rare, badly outnumbered by done-to-death musings regarding the mysteries of being alive and torturous melodramatic moments in which Klara dully absorbs the severity of Josie’s illness and Chrissy’s sorrow.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Genres run from crime thrillers and detective mysteries to folklore horror, social and courtroom drama, and romance.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of mystery
Noun
  • Seen through this lens, rising demand for in-person connection amid the rapid expansion of technology is not a contradiction.
    — Davis Noell, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Young argues there’s really no contradiction between these models and the evidence his team collected in the field.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of contradiction
Noun
  • With Simmons still back on the ramp, largely remaining — to borrow from Winston Churchill — a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The enigma of comets and asteroids lured the world’s space agencies into funding a series of robotic probes to study them.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of enigma
Noun
  • The movie sanitizes the past and removes its tang, its pungency, leaving a craving for contact with nature, with raw experience, with incongruities and accidents and anything but what fits, in lieu of such synthetic sophistication.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Both shows attempted to offer a perspective on authentic Italian style, with Milan's incongruities as an underlying theme.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of incongruity

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paradox
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Cite this Entry

“Paradox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paradox. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about paradox

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