paradoxical

adjective

par·​a·​dox·​i·​cal ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl 

ˌpa-rə-

1

a

: of the nature of a paradox

the paradoxical theory that global warming will lead to the next Ice Age

b

: inclined to paradoxes

2

: not being the normal or usual kind

a paradoxical pulse

paradoxical drug reactions

paradoxicality

ˌper-ə-ˌdäk-si-ˈka-lə-tē 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

paradoxically

ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-k(ə-)lē 

ˌpa-rə-

adverb

paradoxicalness

ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl-nəs 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

Examples of paradoxical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And there’s also the paradoxical fact that, while safe spaces and trigger warnings are supposedly a fixture of modern-day education, an alarming number of Jewish students no longer feel safe on campus, a problem sometimes exacerbated, as Sachs illustrates, by the staff. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025

Deep in the shadows of China’s bustling cities lies a paradoxical truth—a burgeoning cockroach farming industry flourishing in relative secrecy. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025

Silencio, the paradoxical club from Mulholland Drive, has no live music. —Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 17 Jan. 2025

Yet there was something paradoxical about the Cahiers critics’ fervor for Ray. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing paradoxical

• paradoxical sleep

Medical Definition

paradoxical

adjective

par·​a·​dox·​i·​cal ˌpar-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl 

variants also paradoxic

-sik 

: not being the normal or usual kind

a paradoxical embolism