paradox

Plural: paradoxes

Noun

• A statement seemingly contradictory but potentially true.
• (logic) a statement that contradicts itself
  • "`I always lie' is a paradox because if it is true it must be false"
• An apparently self-contradictory statement, which can only be true if it is false, and vice versa.
• A counterintuitive conclusion or outcome.
• A claim that two apparently contradictory ideas are true.
• A thing involving contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time.
• A person or thing having contradictory properties.
• An unanswerable question or difficult puzzle, particularly one which leads to a deeper truth.
• A statement which is difficult to believe, or which goes against general belief.
• The use of counterintuitive or contradictory statements (paradoxes) in speech or writing.
• A state in which one is logically compelled to contradict oneself.
• The practice of giving instructions that are opposed to the therapist's actual intent, with the intention that the client will disobey or be unable to obey.

Examples

• "This sentence is false" is a paradox.
• He is a paradox; you would not expect him in that political party.
• It is an interesting paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.
• It’s a paradox that sometimes the shortest words win the game in Scrabble.
• Not having a fashion is a fashion; that's a paradox.

Synonyms

contradiction, enigma, juxtaposition, koan, puzzle, quandary, reverse psychology, riddle, shocker

Related Words

paradoxical, paradoxically, paradoxician, paradoxism, paradoxling, paradoxology, paradoxy