ironical en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /aɪˈɹɑnɪkəl/ (General-American)
- /aɪˈɹɒnɪkəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From ironic + -al. Attested since the 1570s.
Meanings
-
Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
“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.”
2022 August 9, Ayo Edebiri & Shana Gohd, “Private School” (22:02 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows, season 4, episode 5, spoken by Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak):
-
Given to the use of irony; sarcastic.
His tone was cold and ironical; its bitterness but reflecting the terrible disappointment he had suffered.
1913 January–May, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Gods of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as chapter III, in The Gods of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., September 1918, →OCLC, page 40:
- (obsolete) Feigning ignorance; simulating lack of instruction or knowledge; exhibiting Socratic irony.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more ironical | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most ironical | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
ironically · unironical · ironicalness
Synonyms
Translations (5)
sk ironický (given to the use of irony, sarcasm) · de ironisch (given to the use of irony, sarcasm) · de ironisch (characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony) · sk ironický (characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony) · ja 皮肉好きな (given to the use of irony, sarcasm)