ironical

English

Etymology

From ironic +‎ -al. Attested since the 1570s.[1]

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /aɪˈɹɒnɪkəl/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /aɪˈɹɑnɪkəl/

Adjective

ironical (comparative more ironical, superlative most ironical)

  1. Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
    • 2022 August 9, Ayo Edebiri & Shana Gohd, “Private School” (22:02 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows[1], season 4, episode 5, spoken by Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak):
      “So, ultimately, I realized I have been completely ruining my life and my face. What is ironical is that I was only doing this to make myself look better for my wife Marwa. This was for her, not for me.”
  2. Given to the use of irony; sarcastic.
  3. (obsolete) Feigning ignorance; simulating lack of instruction or knowledge; exhibiting Socratic irony.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “ironic”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.