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.
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
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Ruins and modern city skyline
An adult looks over a landscape showing ancient, crumbling ruins in the foreground and a glass city in the distance.
The layering of these two distinct eras provides a visual framework that shapes how we perceive the progression of history, illustrating the idea of a paradigm shifting across time.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration