- [countable]
a person, thing or situation that has two opposite features and therefore seems strange 矛盾的人（或事物、情况） He was a paradox—a loner who loved to chat to strangers. 他真是个矛盾人物，生性孤僻却又喜欢和陌生人闲聊。 It is a curious paradox that professional comedians often have unhappy personal lives. 这真是个奇怪的矛盾现象：职业喜剧演员的私人生活往往并不快乐。
Extra ExamplesThe author tackles one of the deepest paradoxes of life. 作者就人生中的一个最大悖论进行了探讨。 The facts pose something of a paradox. 这些事实有自相矛盾之处。 the paradox in the relationship between creativity and psychosis 创造力和精神病二者关系中的矛盾 The paradox about time is that it seems to go faster as we become older and less active. 时间的矛盾之处在于，我们年纪渐长不如以前活跃的时候，它似乎走得更快了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- apparent
- seeming
- great
- …
- create
- pose
- present
- …
- paradox about
- paradox between
- paradox in
- …
- by a curious paradox
- [countable, uncountable]
a statement containing two opposite ideas that make it seem impossible or unlikely, although it is probably true; the use of this in writing 似非而是的隽语；悖论；悖论修辞 ‘More haste, less speed’ is a well-known paradox. “欲速则不达” 是人们熟知的似非而是的隽语。 It's a work full of paradox and ambiguity. 这部作品充满了似非而是及模棱两可之处。
WordfinderTopics Doubt, guessing and certaintyc1, Languagec1
Word Originmid 16th cent. (originally denoting a statement contrary to accepted opinion): via late Latin from Greek paradoxon ‘contrary (opinion)’, neuter adjective used as a noun, from para- ‘distinct from’ + doxa ‘opinion’.