Paradox reveals a kind of truth which at first seems contradictory. Two opposing ideas.
Example:
Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage.
Akin to Oxymoron.
an interesting philosophical, deep interpretation/definition:
I think of a paradox as the middle ground between two seemingly contradictory points. I usually think of examples in teaching like wanting a safe school but also wanting kids to have freedom, wanting them to have choice and interest in what they learn but wanting them to "get" certain "stuff", wanting a friendly relationship with colleagues but being able to say the tough stuff to each other, etc. I think of paradox as an interesting struggle or conflict or a midpoint between two opposing forces. I doubt this helps, but...I figured I'd put it out there. I've spent some time trying to embrace the concept and what it represents to me rather than feeling like I'm trying to solve a rubix cube. I'm trying to learn to live in the fact that most of life is a paradox!
And another:
I have always taught it that it is something that seems contradictory on the surface, but on closer inspection actually holds a truth. In Macbeth...."Fair is foul and foul is fair"; "lesser than he but greater"; "not so happy, yet happier" In 1984..."War is Peace"; "Freedom is Slavery"; "Ignorance is strength"