paradigm

Plural: paradigmata, paradigms

Noun

• A typical example, pattern, or model for something.
• systematic arrangement of all the inflected forms of a word
• a standard or typical example
• the class of all items that can be substituted into the same position (or slot) in a grammatical sentence (are in paradigmatic relation with one another)
• the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time
  • "he framed the problem within the psychoanalytic paradigm"
• A pattern, a way of doing something; especially a pattern of thought, a system of beliefs, a conceptual framework.
• An example serving as the model for such a pattern; an exceptionally good or prototypical example of a pattern or group.
• A set of all forms which contain a common element, especially the set of all inflectional forms of a word or a particular grammatical category.

Examples

• Her innovative ’ZAX’ play became a new paradigm for high-scoring words in our Scrabble group.
• The paradigm of "to sing" is "sing, sang, sung". The verb "to ring" follows the same paradigm.
• Thomas Kuhn's landmark “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” got people talking about paradigm shifts, to the point the word itself now suggests an incomplete or biased perspective.

Synonyms

epitome, image, prototype, substitution class