paradoxes

Noun

paradox (countable and uncountable, plural paradoxes)

1. An apparently self-contradictory statement, which can only be true if it is false, and vice versa.
   • "This sentence is false" is a paradox.
2. A counterintuitive conclusion or outcome.
   • It is an interesting paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.

   Synonyms:

   shocker

3. A claim that two apparently contradictory ideas are true.
   • Not having a fashion is a fashion; that's a paradox.
4. A thing involving contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time.
5. A person or thing having contradictory properties.
   • He is a paradox; you would not expect him in that political party.

   Synonyms:

   juxtaposition, contradiction

6. 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

   Synonyms:

   puzzle, quandary, riddle, enigma, koan

See all 10 meanings of paradox