twin paradox

noun

The clock paradox.

Meanings

nountwin paradox (plural twin paradoxes)

plural twin paradoxes · alternative twins paradox

  1. relativity; space flight; relativity; space flightThe clock paradox.

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

From the thought experiment conducted by Albert Einstein, in which one of a pair of twins sets off in a spaceship on a trip at high speed, and due to the effects of relativity, his effective clock ticks slower than the twin who remains at home, not encountering relativistic effects, so that when the spacetraveller twin returns home to compare clocks, the spacetraveller will have experienced less elapsed time than the homebody, thus having aged less than the homebody twin and being younger.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

twin paradox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/twin%20paradox

MLA

“twin paradox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/twin%20paradox. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “twin paradox,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/twin%20paradox.

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