paradoxical

adjective

par·​a·​dox·​i·​cal ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl 

ˌpa-rə-

1

a

: of the nature of a paradox

the paradoxical theory that global warming will lead to the next Ice Age

b

: inclined to paradoxes

2

: not being the normal or usual kind

a paradoxical pulse

paradoxical drug reactions

paradoxicality

ˌper-ə-ˌdäk-si-ˈka-lə-tē 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

paradoxically

ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-k(ə-)lē 

ˌpa-rə-

adverb

paradoxicalness

ˌper-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl-nəs 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

Examples of paradoxical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The ultimate effect is paradoxical: the more that Valéry eliminates the ghost of pain and passion from the logical machinery of his work, the starker and more affecting the moans and cries of the ghost become. —Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

Shot in 16mm black and white, the footage has a paradoxical immediacy lost to a world in which, by one count, 14 billion color images are posted to social media every day. —Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024

Correspondent Luke Burbank looks at why this classic, paradoxical dessert that melds heat with frozen sweets continues to captivate. —David Morgan, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2024

Read: What The Young Pope preached about love Conclave is by no means the first project to use Vatican City as a paradoxical backdrop. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing paradoxical

• paradoxical sleep

Medical Definition

paradoxical

adjective

par·​a·​dox·​i·​cal ˌpar-ə-ˈdäk-si-kəl 

variants also paradoxic

-sik 

: not being the normal or usual kind

a paradoxical embolism