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Wiktionary

paradox

See also: Paradox

English

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Etymology

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From Middle French paradoxe, from Latin paradoxum, from Ancient Greek παράδοξος (parádoxos, “unexpected, strange”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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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.
    • 1909, William James, A pluralistic universe. Hibbert lectures, page 347:
      The active sense of living which we all enjoy, before reflection shatters our instinctive world for us, is self-luminous and suggests no paradoxes.
    • 1962, Abraham Wolf, Textbook of Logic‎[1], page 255:
      According to one version of an ancient paradox, an Athenian is supposed to say "I am a liar." It is then argued that if the statement is true, then he is telling the truth, and is therefore not a liar […]
  2. A counterintuitive conclusion or outcome.
    It is an interesting paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.
  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.[1][2]
  5. A person or thing having contradictory properties.
    He is a paradox; you would not expect him in that political party.
    • 1999, Virginia Henley, A Year and a Day‎[2], →ISBN, page 315:
      You are a paradox of bitch and angel.
  6. An unanswerable question or difficult puzzle, particularly one which leads to a deeper truth.
    • 1994, James Joseph Pirkl, Transgenerational Design‎[3], →ISBN, page 3:
      And only by dismantling our preconceptions of age can we be free to understand the paradox: How young are the old?
  7. (obsolete) A statement which is difficult to believe, or which goes against general belief.
    • 1594, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act III:
      Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner / transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the / force of honesty can translate beauty into his / likeness: this was sometime a paradox, but now the / time gives it proof.
    • 1615, Ralph Hamor, A True Discourse of the Present State of Virginia, Richmond, published 1957, page 3:
      they contended to make that Maxim, that there is no faith to be held with Infidels, a meere and absurd Paradox [...].
  8. (uncountable) The use of counterintuitive or contradictory statements (paradoxes) in speech or writing.
    • 1906, Richard Holt Hutton, Brief Literary Criticisms‎[4], page 40:
      The need for paradox is no doubt rooted deep in the very nature of the use we make of language.
  9. (uncountable, philosophy) A state in which one is logically compelled to contradict oneself.
    • 1866, Edward Poste, Aristotle on Fallacies, Or, The Sophistici Elenchi‎[5], translation of original by Aristotle, page 43:
      Thus, like modern disputants, they aimed either to confute the respondent or to land him in paradox.
  10. (countable, uncountable, psychotherapy) 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.
    • 1988, Martin Lakin, Ethical Issues in the Psychotherapies‎[6], →ISBN, page 103:
      Defiance-based paradox is employed so that the family will actively oppose and deliberately sabotage the prescription.

Usage notes

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  • (self-contradictory statement): A statement which contradicts itself in this fashion is a paradox; two statements which contradict each other are an antinomy.
  • (counterintuitive outcome): This use may be considered incorrect or inexact.
    • 1995 January 14, Ian Stewart, “Paradox of the Spheres”, in New Scientist‎[7]:
      Banach and Tarski's theorem (commonly known as the Banach-Tarski paradox, though it is not a true paradox, being counterintuitive rather than self-contradictory) […]
      1998, Encyclopedia of Applied Physics‎[8], page 270:
      It is not a true paradox, merely highly nonintuitive behavior, if one accepts the realistic and local assumptions of EPR.
  • (unanswerable question): This use may be considered incorrect or inexact.
    • 1917, George Crabb, “ENIGMA, PARADOX, RIDDLE”, in Crabb's English Synonymes, Centennial edition:
      An enigma, therefore, is not a paradox, but a paradox, not being intelligible, may seem like an enigma.

Synonyms

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Smith, W. K. and Lewis, M. W. (2011). Toward a theory of paradox: A dynamic equilibrium model of organizing. Academy of Management Review, 36, pp. 381-403
  2. ^ Zhang, Y., Waldman, D. A., Han, Y., and Li, X. (2015). Paradoxical leader behaviors in people management: Antecedents and consequences. Academy of Management Journal, 58, pp. 538-566

Further reading

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Czech

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Noun

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paradox m inan

  1. paradox

Declension

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This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

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Dutch

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Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Etymology

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Borrowed from French paradoxe, from Middle French paradoxe, from Latin paradoxum, from Ancient Greek παράδοξος (parádoxos, “unexpected, strange”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌpaː.raːˈdɔks/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: pa‧ra‧dox

Noun

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paradox m (plural paradoxen, diminutive paradoxje n)

  1. paradox

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Afrikaans: paradoks
  • → Indonesian: paradoks

German

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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paradox (strong nominative masculine singular paradoxer, comparative paradoxer, superlative am paradoxesten)

  1. paradoxical

Declension

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Positive forms of paradox
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist paradox sie ist paradox es ist paradox sie sind paradox
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative paradoxer paradoxe paradoxes paradoxe
genitive paradoxen paradoxer paradoxen paradoxer
dative paradoxem paradoxer paradoxem paradoxen
accusative paradoxen paradoxe paradoxes paradoxe
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der paradoxe die paradoxe das paradoxe die paradoxen
genitive des paradoxen der paradoxen des paradoxen der paradoxen
dative dem paradoxen der paradoxen dem paradoxen den paradoxen
accusative den paradoxen die paradoxe das paradoxe die paradoxen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein paradoxer eine paradoxe ein paradoxes (keine) paradoxen
genitive eines paradoxen einer paradoxen eines paradoxen (keiner) paradoxen
dative einem paradoxen einer paradoxen einem paradoxen (keinen) paradoxen
accusative einen paradoxen eine paradoxe ein paradoxes (keine) paradoxen
Comparative forms of paradox
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist paradoxer sie ist paradoxer es ist paradoxer sie sind paradoxer
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative paradoxerer paradoxere paradoxeres paradoxere
genitive paradoxeren paradoxerer paradoxeren paradoxerer
dative paradoxerem paradoxerer paradoxerem paradoxeren
accusative paradoxeren paradoxere paradoxeres paradoxere
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der paradoxere die paradoxere das paradoxere die paradoxeren
genitive des paradoxeren der paradoxeren des paradoxeren der paradoxeren
dative dem paradoxeren der paradoxeren dem paradoxeren den paradoxeren
accusative den paradoxeren die paradoxere das paradoxere die paradoxeren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein paradoxerer eine paradoxere ein paradoxeres (keine) paradoxeren
genitive eines paradoxeren einer paradoxeren eines paradoxeren (keiner) paradoxeren
dative einem paradoxeren einer paradoxeren einem paradoxeren (keinen) paradoxeren
accusative einen paradoxeren eine paradoxere ein paradoxeres (keine) paradoxeren
Superlative forms of paradox
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist am paradoxesten sie ist am paradoxesten es ist am paradoxesten sie sind am paradoxesten
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative paradoxester paradoxeste paradoxestes paradoxeste
genitive paradoxesten paradoxester paradoxesten paradoxester
dative paradoxestem paradoxester paradoxestem paradoxesten
accusative paradoxesten paradoxeste paradoxestes paradoxeste
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der paradoxeste die paradoxeste das paradoxeste die paradoxesten
genitive des paradoxesten der paradoxesten des paradoxesten der paradoxesten
dative dem paradoxesten der paradoxesten dem paradoxesten den paradoxesten
accusative den paradoxesten die paradoxeste das paradoxeste die paradoxesten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein paradoxester eine paradoxeste ein paradoxestes (keine) paradoxesten
genitive eines paradoxesten einer paradoxesten eines paradoxesten (keiner) paradoxesten
dative einem paradoxesten einer paradoxesten einem paradoxesten (keinen) paradoxesten
accusative einen paradoxesten eine paradoxeste ein paradoxestes (keine) paradoxesten
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Further reading

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  • “paradox” in Duden online
  • “paradox” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Hungarian

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Etymology

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From German paradox, from Ancient Greek παράδοξος (parádoxos, “unexpected, strange”).[1]

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈpɒrɒdoks]
  • Hyphenation: pa‧ra‧dox
  • Rhymes: -oks

Adjective

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paradox (comparative paradoxabb, superlative legparadoxabb)

  1. paradoxical (seemingly contradictory but possibly true)
    Synonyms: önellentmondó, képtelen, helytelen
  2. (rare) paradoxical, awkward, adverse (contrary to common perception)
    Synonyms: szokatlan, meglepő, meghökkentő, visszás, fonák

Declension

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Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative paradox paradoxok
accusative paradoxot paradoxokat
dative paradoxnak paradoxoknak
instrumental paradoxszal paradoxokkal
causal-final paradoxért paradoxokért
translative paradoxszá paradoxokká
terminative paradoxig paradoxokig
essive-formal paradoxként paradoxokként
essive-modal paradoxul —
inessive paradoxban paradoxokban
superessive paradoxon paradoxokon
adessive paradoxnál paradoxoknál
illative paradoxba paradoxokba
sublative paradoxra paradoxokra
allative paradoxhoz paradoxokhoz
elative paradoxból paradoxokból
delative paradoxról paradoxokról
ablative paradoxtól paradoxoktól
non-attributive
possessive - singular 		paradoxé paradoxoké
non-attributive
possessive - plural 		paradoxéi paradoxokéi

References

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  1. ^ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN

Further reading

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  • paradox in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin paradoxum or Ancient Greek παράδοξος (parádoxos).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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paradox n (plural paradoxuri)

  1. paradox

Declension

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Declension of paradox
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) paradox paradoxul (niște) paradoxuri paradoxurile
genitive/dative (unui) paradox paradoxului (unor) paradoxuri paradoxurilor
vocative paradoxule paradoxurilor

Derived terms

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Swedish

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Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia sv

Noun

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paradox c

  1. a paradox

Declension

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Declension of paradox
nominative genitive
singular indefinite paradox paradox
definite paradoxen paradoxens
plural indefinite paradoxer paradoxers
definite paradoxerna paradoxernas
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References

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