self-contradiction

noun

self-con·​tra·​dic·​tion ˌself-ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-shən How to pronounce self-contradiction (audio)
1
: contradiction of oneself
2
: a self-contradictory statement or proposition

Examples of self-contradiction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
This, in turn, has allowed politicians such as Margaret Thatcher and Boris Johnson to mine both imperial nostalgia and xenophobia to justify, for instance, the Falklands War and Brexit, without the least sign of self-contradiction or hypocrisy. Balaji Ravichandran, Washington Post, 12 June 2024 So a fair degree of self-contradiction was exhibited, even among those who seemed emphatic in their condemnation of Bramhall. Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022 There’s a measure of self-contradiction, of course, in policing discourse about the First Amendment. Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2023 This is an institution squirming in its own orchard of self-contradiction — a comeuppance with no expiration date. Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-contradiction was in 1606

Dictionary Entries Near self-contradiction

Cite this Entry

“Self-contradiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-contradiction. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

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