antinomy

[ an-tin-uh-mee ]

noun

, plural an·tin·o·mies.

1. opposition between one law, principle, rule, etc., and another.
2. Philosophy. a contradiction between two statements, both apparently obtained by correct reasoning.

antinomy

/ ˌæntɪˈnɒmɪk; ænˈtɪnəmɪ /

noun

1. opposition of one law, principle, or rule to another; contradiction within a law
2. philosophy contradiction existing between two apparently indubitable propositions; paradox

Derived Forms

• ˌantiˈnomically, adverb
• antinomic, adjective

Other Words From

• an·ti·nom·ic [an-ti-, nom, -ik], anti·nomi·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of antinomy¹

1585–95; < Latin antinomia < Greek antinomía a contradiction between laws. See anti-, -nomy

Word History and Origins

Origin of antinomy¹

C16: from Latin antinomia, from Greek: conflict between laws, from anti- + nomos law

Example Sentences

Philosophers similarly examined the antinomy of the individual and the group, shaped by the periods of history and the dialectic.

From Washington Post

So each identical print becomes unique outside the artwork’s borders — an antinomy that Analia Saban, an Argentine-artist based in Los Angeles, disturbs and amplifies in “This One,” her clever, subtly difficult recursive series of three black-and-white etchings.

From New York Times

“The essay is structurally flawed by a false antinomy, an either/or scenario doomed to generate opinions rather than dialogue. Anyway, who wants to have an argument that only has two sides?”

From The New Yorker

In the Senate, opposition to Mr. Trump is already being led by the minority leader, Chuck Schumer, who is Mr. Trump’s central legislative antinomy.

From New York Times

When Heidl is willing to talk to Kehlmann, he talks in a qualmless gala of paranoia and parentheses, of non sequitur and evasion, of conspiracy and antinomy, of sundered sermons.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• action
• hostility
• resistance
• struggle