paradoxical
Americanadjective
-
having the nature of a paradox; self-contradictory.
-
Medicine/Medical. not being the normal or usual kind.
Stimulants are a paradoxical, albeit effective, medication used for certain forms of hyperactivity.
Other Word Forms
- nonparadoxical adjective
- nonparadoxicalness noun
- paradoxicality noun
- paradoxically adverb
- paradoxicalness noun
- ultraparadoxical adjective
- unparadoxal adjective
- unparadoxical adjective
Etymology
Origin of paradoxical
Explanation
“You have to spend money to make money.” That’s a paradoxical statement used by people in business, and it seems to say two opposite things that contradict each other, but if you think about it, it’s actually kind of true. Paradoxical is an adjective that describes a paradox, something with two meanings that don’t make sense together. Its Greek roots translate to “contrary opinion,” and when two different opinions collide in one statement or action, that’s paradoxical. In Shakespeare’s play "Hamlet," Hamlet’s mother marries the man who killed Hamlet’s father, but she doesn’t know it. As Hamlet plots to kill the murderer to protect his mother, he says this paradoxical phrase: “I must be cruel to be kind.”
Vocabulary lists containing paradoxical
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Opposites Attract
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"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The market’s more recent angst, however, is somewhat paradoxical.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
Former U.K. and Canada central banker White frets about the paradoxical relationship in the U.S. between the administration of Donald Trump and the dollar.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026
But, he said, there was a paradoxical element of hope in the fact that white sharks were turning up for sale.
From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025
"These results also provide a potential explanation for how stimulants treat hyperactivity, which previously seemed paradoxical," Dosenbach added.
From Science Daily • Dec. 29, 2025
It’s paradoxical that an ordinary man like Nemur presumes to devote himself to making other people geniuses.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
