ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPparadox
ISEE/SSAThard
paradox
Meaning: a statement or situation that seems contradictory but may reveal a hidden truth
paradox in a sentence
How paradox is used in real sentences:
It seemed like a strange twist that saving money sometimes meant spending more upfront.
The old saying that you must lose to win struck her as a strange paradox worth thinking about.
“The central paradox is that the guild preserved itself by changing: continuity depended upon abandoning powers once considered essential.”
— from the passage Beyond the Gates
“The archive preserves a paradox: documents created by a compromised government became the strongest evidence against its abuses.”
— from the passage The Sealed County Papers
“Here is the vault's paradox: it protects crops from a warming world, yet that same warming threatens the frozen ground protecting it.”
— from the passage The Thawing Refuge
Synonyms for paradox
Other words for paradox — contradiction, puzzle and enigma — carry the same meaning.
Where it comes from
From Greek paradoxon 'contrary to expectation'
Word parts
- para — beside, alongside; beyond
paradox: para- (contrary to) + dox (opinion) - dox/dogm — opinion or belief
paradox: para- (contrary to) + dox (opinion)
Memory hook
PARA- means beside, DOX means opinion — a PARADOX goes beside common opinion.