Berry paradox

noun

A particular self-referential paradox relating to the number of words in a descriptive phrase.

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Meanings

nounBerry paradox (plural not attested)
  1. no pluralA particular self-referential paradox relating to the number of words in a descriptive phrase.

Origin

Bertrand Russell, the first to discuss the paradox in print, attributed it to G. G. Berry (1867–1928), a junior librarian at Oxford's Bodleian library, who had suggested the more limited paradox arising from the expression "the first undefinable ordinal".

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Cite this entry
APA

Berry paradox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Berry%20paradox

MLA

“Berry paradox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Berry%20paradox. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Berry paradox,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Berry%20paradox.

Source: Berry paradox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.