par·a·dox

(păr′ə-dŏks′)

1. A statement that seems to contradict itself but may nonetheless be true: the paradox that standing is more tiring than walking.

2. A person, thing, or situation that exhibits inexplicable or contradictory aspects: "The silence of midnight, to speak truly, though apparently a paradox, rung in my ears" (Mary Shelley).

3. A statement that is self-contradictory or logically untenable, though based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises.

[Latin paradoxum, from Greek paradoxon, from neuter sing. of paradoxos, conflicting with expectation : para-, beyond; see para-¹ + doxa, opinion (from dokein, to think; see dek- in Indo-European roots).]

par′a·dox′i·cal adj.

par′a·dox′i·cal·ly adv.

par′a·dox′i·cal·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

paradox

(ˈpærəˌdɒks)

1. a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement that is or may be true: religious truths are often expressed in paradox.

2. (Logic) a self-contradictory proposition, such as I always tell lies

3. a person or thing exhibiting apparently contradictory characteristics

4. an opinion that conflicts with common belief. Also called (rare): paradoxy

[C16: from Late Latin paradoxum, from Greek paradoxos opposed to existing notions, from para-¹ + doxa opinion]

ˌparaˈdoxical adj

ˌparaˈdoxically adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

par•a•dox

(ˈpær əˌdɒks)

n.

1. a seemingly contradictory or absurd statement that expresses a possible truth.

2. a self-contradictory and false proposition.

3. a person, thing, or situation, exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.

4. an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.

[1530–40; < Latin paradoxum < Greek parádoxon, n. use of neuter of parádoxos unbelievable, literally, beyond belief. See para-¹, orthodox]

par`a•dox′i•cal, adj.

par`a•dox′i•cal•ly, adv.

par`a•dox′i•cal•ness, par`a•dox`i•cal′i•ty, n.

paradox

A statement which seems to contradict itself or lead to absurdity.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

paradox - (logic) a statement that contradicts itself; "`I always lie' is a paradox because if it is true it must be false"

logic - the branch of philosophy that analyzes inference

contradiction in terms, contradiction - (logic) a statement that is necessarily false; "the statement `he is brave and he is not brave' is a contradiction"

paradox

noun contradiction, mystery, puzzle, ambiguity, anomaly, inconsistency, enigma, oddity, absurdity Death is a paradox, the end yet the beginning.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

تَناقُض

paradox

paradoks

Paradox Paradoxon

αντίφαση παραδοξολογία

paradokso

paradoja

paradoksi

paradoxe antinomie

פרדוקס

paradoks

paradoxon

paradoks

òverstæîa, òversögn

paradosso paradossale

矛盾逆説

paradoxum

paradoksasparadoksaluparadoksalus

paradokss

paradox

paradox

paradoks

paradox

ปฏิทรรศน์

paradoks

парадокс

似矛盾而实际却可能正确的说法似非而是的论点

paradox

[ˈpærədɒks] N → paradoja f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

paradox

[ˈpærədɒks] n → paradoxe m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

paradox

n → Paradox nt, → Paradoxon nt (liter); life/he is full of paradoxes → das Leben/er steckt voller Widersprüche

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

paradox

[ˈpærəˌdɒks] n → paradosso

paradox

(ˈpӕrədoks) noun

a statement etc that seems to contradict itself but which is nevertheless true. If your birthday is on February 29 you could state the paradox that you are thirteen years old although you have only had three birthdays.

ˌparaˈdoxical adjective

ˌparaˈdoxically adverb

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

He played with the idea and grew wilful; tossed it into the air and transformed it; let it escape and recaptured it; made it iridescent with fancy and winged it with paradox. The praise of folly, as he went on, soared into a philosophy, and philosophy herself became young, and catching the mad music of pleasure, wearing, one might fancy, her wine-stained robe and wreath of ivy, danced like a Bacchante over the hills of life, and mocked the slow Silenus for being sober.

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He, who fairly burnt with immortality, denied himself immortality--such was the paradox of him.

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Which sentiment being a pretty hard morsel, and bearing something of the air of a paradox, we shall leave the reader to chew the cud upon it to the end of the chapter.

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Happily for me, my acquaintance among the Rosalinds of the bicycle, at this period of my life, was but slight, and thus no familiarity with the tweed knickerbocker feminine took off the edge of my delight on first beholding Nicolete clothed in like manhood with ourselves, and yet, delicious paradox! looking more like a woman than ever.

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Not the world,' but the 'one wise man,' is still the paradox of Socrates in his last hours.

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And he put it to us in this way--marking the points with a lean forefinger--as we sat and lazily admired his earnestness over this new paradox (as we thought it:) and his fecundity.

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And there are no teachers in the higher sense of the word; that is to say, no real teachers who will arouse the spirit of enquiry in their pupils, and not merely instruct them in rhetoric or impart to them ready- made information for a fee of 'one' or of 'fifty drachms.' Plato is desirous of deepening the notion of education, and therefore he asserts the paradox that there are no educators.

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I was working to get away from work, and I buckled down to it with a grim realisation of the paradox.

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But notwithstanding the concurring testimony of experience, in this particular, there are still to be found visionary or designing men, who stand ready to advocate the paradox of perpetual peace between the States, though dismembered and alienated from each other.

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While to Helen the paradox became clearer and clearer.

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There are not wanting, it is true, some promulgators of paradoxes who maintain that there is no necessary connection between geometrical and moral Irregularity.

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Their moral eccentricities, like their oddities of dress, their wild theories and paradoxes, were an entertainment which amused her, but had not the slightest influence on her convictions.

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