Nearby Words

Paradoxes

[par-uh-doks] Origin

par·a·dox

[par-uh-doks]
noun
1.
a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
2.
a self-contradictory and false proposition.
3.
any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.
4.
an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.

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

par·a·dox·i·cal, par·a·dox·al, adjective
par·a·dox·ol·o·gy, noun


3. puzzle, anomaly, riddle.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Paradoxes is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

paradox
1540, from L. paradoxum "paradox, statement seemingly absurd yet really true," from Gk. paradoxon, from neut. of adj. paradoxos "contrary to expectation, incredible," from para- "contrary to" + doxa "opinion."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

paradox par·a·dox (pār'ə-dŏks')
n.
That which is apparently, though not actually, inconsistent with or opposed to the known facts in any case.


par'a·dox'i·cal adj.
par'a·dox'i·cal·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

paradox definition


A statement that seems contradictory or absurd but is actually valid or true. According to one proverbial paradox, we must sometimes be cruel in order to be kind. Another form of paradox is a statement that truly is contradictory and yet follows logically from other statements that do not seem open to objection. If someone says, “I am lying,” for example, and we assume that his statement is true, it must be false. The paradox is that the statement “I am lying” is false if it is true.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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