paradigm
noun
Did you know?
Paradigm comes from the Greek verb paradeiknynai, meaning “to show side by side.” It has been used in English to mean “example” or “pattern” since the 15th century. There is debate, however, about what kind of example qualifies as a paradigm. Some people say it’s a typical example, while others insist it must be an outstanding or perfect example. The scientific community has added to the confusion by using paradigm to mean “a theoretical framework,” a sense popularized by American scientist Thomas S. Kuhn in the second edition of his influential book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1970. Some usage commentators now advise avoiding the term entirely on the grounds that it is overused, but we contend that it can sometimes make a useful, conversation-enriching replacement for idea, theory, or concept, as in “an article about sandwiches that shifts the paradigm by including hot dogs.”
Examples of paradigm in a Sentence
Jim Holt, New York Times Book Review, 15 Feb. 2009
Such problems drive home a critical flaw in the paradigm of energy independence—namely, that energy isn't a zero-sum game anymore.
—Paul Roberts, Mother Jones, May/June 2008
That the biomedical paradigm of single cause and single disease was a chimera was well understood by even its most vigorous advocates.
—Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007
Her recent book provides us with a new paradigm for modern biography.
the Freudian paradigm of psychoanalysis
a new study that challenges the current evolutionary paradigm
Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
But the new paradigm for fighting these fires contains an inconvenient truth.
—Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025
Interesting Engineering spoke to Brett Kagan, Chief Scientific Officer of Cortical Labs, about the journey from DishBrain to CL1, the promise of synthetic biological intelligence, and why this might be the start of a new computing paradigm.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
These young people, Gen Z Madagascar, will bring down entire paradigms of thought.
—Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paradigm
Cite this Entry
“Paradigm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradigm. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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paradigm
noun
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