paradox
- paradox
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/par"euh doks'/, n.
1. a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
2. a self-contradictory and false proposition.
3. any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.
4. an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.
[
1530-40; < L paradoxum < Gk parádoxon, n. use of neut. of parádoxos unbelievable, lit., beyond belief. See PARA-1, ORTHODOX]
Syn. 3. puzzle, anomaly, riddle.
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I
Apparently self-contradictory statement whose underlying meaning is revealed only by careful scrutiny.
Its purpose is to arrest attention and provoke fresh thought, as in the statement "Less is more." In poetry, paradox functions as a device encompassing the tensions of error and truth simultaneously, not necessarily by startling juxtapositions but by subtle and continuous qualifications of the ordinary meanings of words. When a paradox is compressed into two words, as in "living death," it is called an oxymoron.
II
(as used in expressions)
Olbers's paradox
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apparently self-contradictory statement, the underlying meaning of which is revealed only by careful scrutiny. The purpose of a paradox is to arrest attention and provoke fresh thought. The statement “Less is more” is an example. Francis Bacon's saying, “The most corrected copies are commonly the least correct,” is an earlier literary example. In George Orwell's anti-utopian satire
Animal Farm (1945), the first commandment of the animals' commune is revised into a witty paradox: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Paradox has a function in
poetry,
however, that goes beyond mere wit or attention-getting. Modern critics view it as a device, integral to poetic language, encompassing the tensions of error and truth simultaneously, not necessarily by startling juxtapositions but by subtle and continuous qualifications of the ordinary meaning of words.
When a paradox is compressed into two words as in “loud silence,” “lonely crowd,” or “living death,” it is called an oxymoron.
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Universalium.
2010.
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Look at other dictionaries:
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paradox — PARADÓX, paradoxuri, s.n. 1. Enunţ contradictoriu şi, în acelaşi timp, demonstrabil; părere (absurdă) contrară adevărului unanim recunoscut; p. ext. ciudăţenie; enormitate, absurditate. 2. (În sintagma) Paradox hidrostatic = faptul că presiunea… … Dicționar Român
Paradox — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda La término Paradox puede referirse a: Paradox, banda Alemana de thrash metal. La base de datos Paradox, una base de datos relacional para entorno MS Windows; Paradox Interactive, una compañía de videojuegos sueca.… … Wikipedia Español
paradox — paradox, antinomy, anomaly are comparable terms that involve the idea of expressing or revealing an inner or inherent contradiction and are therefore not always clearly distinguished. A paradox is primarily a statement or proposition which… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
paradox — par a*dox (p[a^]r [.a]*d[o^]ks), n.; pl. {paradoxes} (p[a^]r [.a]*d[o^]ks*[e^]z). [F. paradoxe, L. paradoxum, fr. Gr. para doxon; para beside, beyond, contrary to + dokei^n to think, suppose, imagine. See {Para }, and {Dogma}.] A tenet or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
PARADOX — (déplombeur de logiciels) Logo du groupe, 2006. Paradox est un groupe warez très connu officiant depuis 1990, il excelle dans le crackage de jeux et de programmes les plus divers. Historique Paradox a commencé par les logiciels Amiga puis s est… … Wikipédia en Français
paradox — Adj seltsam, widersprüchlich erw. fremd. Erkennbar fremd (17. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus l. paradoxos, dieses aus gr. parádoxos, zu gr. dóxa Meinung und gr. para , also gegen die Meinung . Substantivierung: Paradox; Abstraktum: Paradoxie,… … Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache
paradox — Adj. (Mittelstufe) geh.: völlig absurd, widersinnig Synonyme: widersprüchlich, unlogisch Beispiele: Deine Meinung ist völlig paradox. Das klingt paradox … Extremes Deutsch
paradox — (n.) 1530s, from L. paradoxum paradox, statement seemingly absurd yet really true, from Gk. paradoxon, noun use of neuter of adjective paradoxos contrary to expectation, incredible, from para contrary to + doxa opinion, from dokein to appear,… … Etymology dictionary
Paradox — (v. gr.), was entweder unseren eigenen od. den gewöhnlichen u. allgemein als wahr angenommenen Ansichten zuwiderläuft. Daher: Paradoxie, die Seltsamkeit u. auffallende Sonderbarkeit in Meinungen, kühne Behauptungen etc. Paradoxon, dergleichen… … Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
Paradóx — (grch.), von der allgemeinen Meinung abweichend, sonderbar, auffallend; Paradóxon, seltsame Behauptung oder Meinung; Paradoxīe, Sonderbarkeit in Meinungen … Kleines Konversations-Lexikon
