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paradox

/ˈpærədɒks/  ·  say it: PAR·uh·doks

a seemingly contradictory but possibly true statement

In Debate & Persuasion

In more detail

1. (noun) a situation or statement that seems to contain two opposite or contradictory ideas, yet both may be true

2. (noun) something that is very surprising or difficult to understand because it has qualities that seem to contradict each other

Examples

• It's a paradox that the more you try to sleep, the harder it becomes to fall asleep.
• The company faced a paradox: they needed to spend money to save money.

Nearby in Debate & Persuasion

deduction, fallacy, sophistry, contradiction, ambiguity, nuance