paradox
/ˈpæ.ɹəˌdɒks/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.63 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An apparently self-contradictory statement, which can only be true if it is false, and vice versa.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A thing involving contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An unanswerable question or difficult puzzle, particularly one which leads to a deeper truth.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A statement which is difficult to believe, or which goes against general belief.
Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable
noun
The use of counterintuitive or contradictory statements (paradoxes) in speech or writing.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- ""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."
- "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 […]"
- "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."
- "Not having a fashion is a fashion; that's a paradox."
Etymology
From Middle French paradoxe, from Latin paradoxum, from Ancient Greek παράδοξος (parádoxos, “unexpected, strange”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *deḱ-, paradoxe, paradoxum, παράδοξος
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˈpæ.ɹəˌdɒks/