Link Centre Dictionary

ironical

iro·ni·cal

UK/aɪˈɹɒnɪkəl/ US/aɪˈɹɑnɪkəl/ fairly common

adjective

1.

characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is

  • “madness, an ironic fate for such a clear thinker”
  • “it was ironical that the well-planned scheme failed so completely”
Synonyms
2.

humorously sarcastic or mocking

  • “dry humor”
  • “an ironic remark often conveys an intended meaning obliquely”
  • “an ironic novel”
  • “an ironical smile”
  • “with a wry Scottish wit”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From ironic + -al. Attested since the 1570s.

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.