paradigm
noun
Did you know?
Paradigm comes from the Greek verb paradeiknynai, meaning “to show side by side.” It has been used in English to mean “example” or “pattern” since the 15th century. There is debate, however, about what kind of example qualifies as a paradigm. Some people say it’s a typical example, while others insist it must be an outstanding or perfect example. The scientific community has added to the confusion by using paradigm to mean “a theoretical framework,” a sense popularized by American scientist Thomas S. Kuhn in the second edition of his influential book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1970. Some usage commentators now advise avoiding the term entirely on the grounds that it is overused, but we contend that it can sometimes make a useful, conversation-enriching replacement for idea, theory, or concept, as in “an article about sandwiches that shifts the paradigm by including hot dogs.”
Examples of paradigm in a Sentence
Jim Holt, New York Times Book Review, 15 Feb. 2009
Such problems drive home a critical flaw in the paradigm of energy independence—namely, that energy isn't a zero-sum game anymore.
—Paul Roberts, Mother Jones, May/June 2008
That the biomedical paradigm of single cause and single disease was a chimera was well understood by even its most vigorous advocates.
—Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007
Her recent book provides us with a new paradigm for modern biography.
the Freudian paradigm of psychoanalysis
a new study that challenges the current evolutionary paradigm
Priya Oberoi, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
That is, the new paradigm rejects the idea that there is a base layer of historical fact that writing partially conceals, in a kind of dance of the seven literary veils.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
This paradigm is shifting with the launch of a wave of startups eager to deliver software, missiles, drones, satellites, and other services.
—Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2025
Sylvia Wynter – Questions colonial and racial hierarchies that shape dominant visual paradigms.
—Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paradigm
Cite this Entry
“Paradigm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradigm. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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paradigm
noun
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