time paradox

[ tahym par-uh-doks ]

1. Also called tem·por·al par·a·dox. (in science fiction) a hypothetical contradiction of cause-and-effect within a timeline that results from traveling back in time, as in the bootstrap paradox or the grandfather paradox.
2. Sometimes par·a·dox of time. Physics, Thermodynamics. the contradiction between the concept of time in quantum physics, according to the theory of relativity, where processes are time-symmetric and reversible, and the concept of time in thermodynamics, according to the second law of thermodynamics, where processes have a direction and are irreversible.

Word History and Origins

Origin of time paradox¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Film critic Jordan Hoffman tweeted that it was, “far more madcap than I expected. Really nailed what reading a 5-issue crossover comic book is like. Tons of Ezra Miller being zany and time paradox stuff. Nerds will lose their minds at the ending.”

From Seattle Times

What’s more, the character of Zurg isn’t all that much of a threat, as it turns out, and the big battle scene is ultimately a way to resolve a time paradox.

From Washington Post

“If I was going by the book to make a time-travel film, ‘Petite Maman’ would have to be set in a very particular time and there would have to be a time paradox or a reasoning for how they could get back, which you would have to hide and then reveal,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Especially with a story like that where there’s natural conflict because of this time paradox.

From Seattle Times

Heinlein could do it all, whether writing about a generation starship in “Universe,” playing with time paradox in “By His Bootstraps” or turning out the best juvenile sf novels ever, including my favorite, “Citizen of the Galaxy,” which opens unforgettably: “ ‘Lot ninety-seven,’ the auctioneer announced.

From Washington Post