Paradigm
noun /ˈpærədaɪm/ — The underlying model that shapes how everyone thinks about something.
Definition
A typical example or pattern of something; a world view underlying the theories and methodology of a particular subject — a framework that shapes how an entire field approaches its problems.
Beyond the definition
Made famous by Thomas Kuhn in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions — the idea that science doesn't progress smoothly but through 'paradigm shifts,' where an entire framework is overthrown. Overused in business, but the concept is genuinely powerful.
Origin & history
From Greek paradeigma — pattern, example (para 'beside' + deiknunai 'to show'). A model shown alongside to illustrate.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
We're not iterating on the existing model — we're proposing a paradigm shift.
The current paradigm assumes information scarcity. That assumption no longer holds.
Every paradigm looks inevitable after it dominates and absurd before it does.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Paradigm” when the meaning fits your context: A typical example or pattern of something; a world view underlying the theories and methodology of a particular subject — a framework that shapes how an entire field approaches its problems.
Synonyms
framework, model, system, worldview, approach
Antonyms
anomaly, exception, deviance
Related words
Paradigm vs model
A model is a simplified representation of reality used to understand or predict something — practical, specific, and testable. A paradigm is larger: it's the entire framework of assumptions within which models are constructed and questions are asked. Models exist inside paradigms. When a paradigm shifts, the old models don't just get updated — they get replaced along with the assumptions that produced them. Models are tools; paradigms are the worldview that determines which tools you reach for.
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
Thomas Kuhn spent years studying why scientific revolutions were so chaotic. His conclusion: scientists don't update their frameworks incrementally when evidence contradicts them. They hold the old framework until it collapses under the weight of too many anomalies — and then the whole thing shifts at once.
This turned out to describe much more than science. Every institution, every industry, every relationship has a framework that organises how it understands itself — until it doesn't.
The sign that a shift is needed is usually visible before it's acknowledged. The anomalies accumulate. Then, suddenly, everything looks different.
Questions about this word
What does "Paradigm" mean?
Paradigm is noun meaning: The underlying model that shapes how everyone thinks about something.. A typical example or pattern of something; a world view underlying the theories and methodology of a particular subject — a framework that shapes how an entire field approaches its problems.
Which words express “spirit of this moment in time”?
Paradigm — The underlying model that shapes how everyone thinks about something.
Where does the word "Paradigm" come from?
From Greek paradeigma — pattern, example (para 'beside' + deiknunai 'to show'). A model shown alongside to illustrate.