Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PARADOX

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

pronounce PARADOX: Say it "PAIR uh dox." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: As we explore paradoxes, see if you can recall a word for a similar concept: An o______n is a phrase or a statement that conflicts with itself, or seems to, such as "clean coal" or "bare-faced makeup." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)   definition: Our word "paradox" came through French and Latin and traces back to a Greek word meaning "(something) that contradicts (your) opinion." That's what "paradox" first meant in English, too: a paradox was something that challenged your opinion or your belief: something hard to believe because it's either very disagreeable or very amazing. So if you bump into the word "paradox" in a text from hundreds of years ago, like a Shakespeare play, that's what it likely means there. Over time, the meaning changed. Today, a paradox can be a statement or idea that seems to contradict itself, sometimes in a way that's false and ridiculous, but most often in a way that's true and fascinating. For instance, here's a paradox: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." More loosely--and, these days, more often--a paradox is something or someone that seems to contradict itself. In other words, a paradox is a person, place, or thing with parts or aspects that are so extremely different or contrary that it boggles the mind. Sometimes, a paradox is a specific logical problem that arises when we tell stories or ponder the scientific mysteries of life, the universe, and everything. For one example, the smoker's paradox is the apparent observation that smokers sometimes have better health outcomes than expected. For a second example, the twins paradox is the conclusion that, if one twin spends a long time traveling in space close to the speed of light, then he or she will be younger than the twin who stayed home. And for one more example, here's the omnipotence paradox: "Could God create a stone so heavy that even He could not lift it?" grammatical bits: Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "It's a paradox;" "The series explores these paradoxes." Very rarely, the uncountable kind: "Don't write about time travel; you'll get tangled up in paradox." Other forms:  The common ones are "paradoxes," "paradoxical," and "paradoxically." how to use it: "Paradox" is the common, formal word that helps you emphasize how some opposing set of facts is weird, puzzling, intriguing, mysterious, and/or interesting enough to make people stop, think, and wonder. Here's Stephen Hawking: "Paradoxically, the more fuel a star starts off with, the sooner it runs out." You might say that someone or something is a paradox, or talk about the paradox of something. Or, talk about people creating, struggling with, solving, resolving, dodging, or avoiding paradoxes.  If you're wondering how to distinguish between paradoxes and oxymorons, I'd say, if it's a full statement or a detailed situation, call it a paradox; but if it's just a short term or a phrase, call it an oxymoron. And if it's a person, place, or thing with surprisingly disparate parts, you can call it either--but I'd recommend calling it a paradox, since some people object to the use of the word "oxymoron" in that case. examples: "You fear death. Being immortal, you fear it more than those to whom it comes naturally. Vampires are a paradox... Demon in a human body. You walk in both worlds and belong to neither."    — Joss Whedon, "Who Are You," Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 29 February 2000 "By its nature and its size Texas invites generalities, and the generalities usually end up as paradox—the 'little ol' country boy' at a symphony, the booted and blue-jeaned ranchman in Neiman-Marcus, buying Chinese jades."    — John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley in Search of America, 1962 has this page helped you understand "paradox"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "paradox" without saying "puzzling statement" or "puzzling set of opposing facts." try it out: Daniel James Brown describes the sport of rowing as full of paradoxes: "Rowing is, in a number of ways, a sport of fundamental paradoxes. For one thing, an eight-oared racing shell— powered by unusually large and physically powerful men or women—is commanded, controlled, and directed by the smallest and least powerful person in the boat." Talk about what he means. What's the paradox here? And, can you think of another sport, activity, profession, or sphere of interest that is full of paradoxes? What are they? Would you agree that if we start looking very closely at anything complex, we'll find paradoxes? Why or why not? If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game this month is "Codenames MYP." You can play it with a partner or by yourself. It's loosely based on the fantastic game Codenames Duet.   Check out the words in the grid. Ignore the colors; they're just the ones I had on hand.  If you’re playing with a partner, pick any 2 or 3 terms from the grid, and give your partner a one-word clue to help them guess your terms--without stumbling onto any that you didn't pick. Your partner can do the same for you. No hints! Just say your clue word and the number of terms it should point toward. If you're playing solo, try to guess 2 terms in the grid by using this clue: "evolving." To see these answers, scroll all the way down. If you need any definitions, give these a click:       cavalcade, kernel, chrysalis,      Ship of Theseus, shoehorn, battalion,      bedrock, yoke, embers. review this word: 1. Opposites of PARADOXICAL include A. TRITE, CHEESY, and OVERDONE. B. SIMPLE, CONSISTENT, and COHERENT. C. OVERSIMPLIFIED and MISUNDERSTOOD. 2. The word "paradoxography" is based on the older, original sense of the word "paradox." A paradoxography is a written exploration of various _____--not of various perplexing contradictions, as you might first guess. A. marvels B. illnesses C. landscapes Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A Answers to the game question: With the clue "evolving," I was trying to point you toward chrysalis and Ship of Theseus. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.