ironical
1
7.3
- adjective
- /aɪˈrɒnɪkəl/
:
irónico
- Some people find it ironical that, Though we run a travel agency, we've never been outside Blaine.
You know, that's, you know, that I think is really deeply ironic.
- You know, that's, you know, that I think is really deeply ironic.
- I don't like just expressing anger, though, that that doesn't suit my tone, which I think is more detached and ironic.
- Like, and I think this is like really ironic or funny, but they were like, Oh yeah, you come with us, but just stay in the back.
Examples
-
It was, of course, a highly constructed, ironical brand of pride.
Fiction book (1996) -
Some people find it ironical that the weather was sunny on the day of the rain dance.
-
I always think it very ironical... that the male of the species reaches his sexual peak at the age of 14.
-
Today, however, many African art historians appear not to care about connoisseurship, nor very much about art objects either, as ironical as that may be.
Academic text (2003) -
A virtuoso, you might say, of the life of the heart and of the mind, but with a sort of ironic detachment.
-
I know it's ironic because Betty and Alan are a duo and they are perfectionist and they love following rules.
-
Consequently, as ironical as it may seem, the bottoms-up process to decision-making must begin with the board of education and superintendent making a strong commitment to the process.
Academic text (1990) -
In A twist of what could be seen as ironic redemption, some of the very pilots that only recently dropped bombs on Berlin now bring the kids sweets.
-
She laughed because they have so accepted Zachary that his accomplishments have become regular, and my statement was so out of context of their perceptions of him that it seemed ironical to her.
Blog text (21) -
One tempting option is to see in the title an ironical allusion to I Kings 17:1, where "a little cloud out of the sea" heralds the coming of rain after a long drought.
Academic text (1991)
Synonyms
261
4.9
Happening in a way people do not expect, often in a surprising or sad way
99
4.0
Using words that say the opposite of what you mean to mock or hurt someone
21
7.5
Showing dry, slightly mocking humor and not taking things seriously
9
8.1
Showing mocking, bitter humor that makes fun of people
1
8.7
Expressing sharp, often ironic criticism that can feel harsh
Antonyms
How Unexpected
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Ironical comes from a Greek word eironeia meaning 'pretend' and is the same root as irony. Because it began with the idea of 'pretending', ironical is used when something turns out the opposite of what was expected, like a surprise twist.