PARADOXICAL

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does paradoxical mean? 

• PARADOXICAL (adjective)
  The adjective PARADOXICAL has 1 sense:

1. seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true

  Familiarity information: PARADOXICAL used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PARADOXICAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true

Synonyms:

paradoxical; self-contradictory

Context example:

it is paradoxical that standing is more tiring than walking

Similar:

incomprehensible; inexplicable (incapable of being explained or accounted for)

Derivation:

paradox ((logic) a statement that contradicts itself)

 Context examples 

Paradoxical to these changes which suggest impaired coagulation, patients with the lupus anticoagulant have an increase in thrombotic events.

(Lupus Anticoagulant Antibody, NCI Thesaurus)

Meanwhile, significant evidence showed a paradoxical impact of memory on face color since under most circumstances, no one expects a face to be green, the study’s lead investigator, Bevil Conway, said.

(Rosy health and sickly green: color associations play robust role in reading faces, National Institutes of Health)

That sounds a little paradoxical.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)