paradox

2 definitions • 2 examples

a situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics:

[ + that ] It's a curious paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.

a statement or situation that may be true but seems impossible or difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics:

It’s a strange paradox that people who say you shouldn’t criticize the government criticize it as soon as they disagree with it.