paradoxical

adjective

par·​a·​dox·​i·​cal ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl How to pronounce paradoxical (audio)
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 noun
paradoxically adverb
paradoxicalness noun

Examples of paradoxical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Yet there was something paradoxical about the Cahiers critics’ fervor for Ray. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025 Part of the reason for the paradoxical increase in use but the decrease in deaths is the expansion of access to naloxone, which was made over-the-counter in 2023. Gabrielle M. Etzel, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Feb. 2025 As the night wears on — and Slim, Pierre, Broken Feather, Dusty, and Pete are met by a group of singing girls out in the pitch-black pastures — the visuals fail to transcend, but the paradoxical party still feels like one that could only be put on by Lynch. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025 To achieve this striking tone—the paradoxical way that actions seem serendipitous yet also comprehensively crafted—Akerman’s method is a sort of cinematic fishing. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for paradoxical

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of paradoxical was in 1598

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Cite this Entry

“Paradoxical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradoxical. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Medical Definition

paradoxical

adjective
par·​a·​dox·​i·​cal ˌpar-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl How to pronounce paradoxical (audio)
variants also paradoxic
: not being the normal or usual kind
a paradoxical embolism

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