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

Released on March 19, 2026, the Eco-Drive Photon pays tribute to this technological innovation by also paying a bit of homage to the physics of light and its paradoxical nature. —David Szondy march 28, New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026

An imperfect relationship One paradoxical aspect of the Danish-Greenlandic relationship is the constitutional arrangement that prevents Greenland from competing in international soccer is also what anchors it politically. —Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026

Broadband, mobile data, and semiconductors are Jevons-paradoxical too. —Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

And there's also the paradoxical query asked a decade earlier by physicist Enrico Fermi. —Leonard David, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2026

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