Vocabulary
Paradigm meaning: a model or pattern for understanding something
A new tool can change more than one task. When it changes the model people use to approach a whole area of work, paradigm may be the right word.
Use paradigm for a model, typical pattern, or shared way of understanding a subject.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
paradigm /ˈpærədaɪm/
The short answer
A paradigm is a model, typical example, or shared pattern for understanding how something works.
The course uses a practical paradigm for solving common workplace problems.
Why it works: The paradigm is the model that guides the group's approach.
3 more examples
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The researcher proposed a new paradigm for studying city transport.
The researcher proposes a model that could guide many future studies, not one small change.
Not this:The researcher proposed
a new routefor studying city transport. What changes: Route suggests a physical or planned path. Paradigm means an approach or framework. -
This school is often treated as a paradigm of patient, careful observation.
The school is presented as a strong example that shows a particular quality or method.
Not this:This school is often treated as
a sample ofpatient, careful observation. What changes: A sample is usually a small part chosen for inspection. Paradigm points to an example or model others can learn from. -
Remote collaboration changed the team's paradigm for planning weekly work.
The team changed its shared way of organizing and understanding the work.
Not this:Remote collaboration changed
the team's schedulefor planning weekly work. What changes: A schedule changes times and dates. A paradigm changes the model behind decisions and practices.
Read the full guide
Use paradigm when you mean more than one isolated example. It usually refers to a model or pattern that can guide many decisions, examples, or cases.
Start with a model or pattern
A paradigm gives people a model for making sense of a subject. It can show how ideas fit together or how a task is normally approached.
The guide offers a paradigm for reviewing a difficult decision.
Use it for a shared framework
In reports and academic writing, paradigm often means a framework shared by people in a field. A change in the paradigm can affect methods, questions, and decisions across that field.
Digital records created a different paradigm for managing patient information.
It can also mean a strong example
Paradigm can describe a particularly clear example of a quality or type. This use is less common in everyday conversation, but it appears in formal descriptions.
Her explanation is a paradigm of clear, careful teaching.
Choose a precise alternative when needed
Use model when you mean a representation that can be tested or copied. Use framework when you mean a structure for organizing ideas. Use example for one case. Paradigm is useful when the larger shared pattern matters.
One example shows a case. A paradigm can organize how people understand many cases.
Choose the word in context
A company replaces one meeting with a shorter meeting. Is paradigm the clearest word for that change?
Usually no. Meeting format or schedule is clearer unless the change also creates a new shared way of planning and making decisions.
Before you go
Remember this
Use paradigm for a model, typical example, or shared framework. It works best when the word points to a pattern that helps people understand or organize more than one case.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Paradigm meaning: a model or pattern for understanding something"
What does paradigm mean?
Paradigm means a model, typical example, or shared pattern for understanding how something works.
The researcher proposed a new paradigm for studying city transport.
What is a paradigm in simple words?
In simple words, a paradigm is a way of seeing or doing something that helps guide many decisions.
The researcher proposed a new route for studying city transport.
What is the difference between paradigm and model?
A model can be any representation or example. A paradigm is usually a broader model or pattern that a group uses to understand a subject or organize its work.
This school is often treated as a paradigm of patient, careful observation.
Can paradigm mean example?
Yes. In formal English, a paradigm can be a particularly clear example of a quality, method, or type of thing.
This school is often treated as a sample of patient, careful observation.
How do you pronounce paradigm?
Say PAR-uh-dime. The g is silent, and the stress falls on the first syllable.
Remote collaboration changed the team's paradigm for planning weekly work.
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