Words / P / General

paradox

noun/ˈpærədɒks/

B2CEFR level
30/100Rarity: fairly common
NeutralRegister

A statement that seems contradictory yet may be true.

It is a paradox that the more choice we get, the less we enjoy.

Similar: contradiction

Origin: Greek paradoxon ‘contrary to expectation’.

Topic: Thought & reason in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: Thought & reason