ironic
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i·ron·ic
(ī-rŏn′ĭk) also i·ron·i·cal (ī-rŏn′ĭ-kəl)adj.
1. Characterized by or constituting irony.
2. Given to the use of irony.
3. Poignantly contrary to what was expected or intended: madness, an ironic fate for such a clear thinker.
4. Usage Problem Coincidental or improbable.
i·ron′i·cal·ly adv.
i·ron′i·cal·ness n.
Usage Note: In its nonliterary uses, irony refers to an incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs, especially if what actually occurs seems designed to thwart or mock human wishes. For example, in the sentence Ironically, even as the government was fulminating against American policy, American jeans and videocassettes were the hottest items in the stalls of the market, the incongruity exemplifies human inconsistency. This sentence was approved by 92 percent of Usage Panelists in our 2016 survey. Sometimes, people misapply ironic, irony, and ironically to events and circumstances that might better be described as simply coincidental or improbable, with no particular lessons about human vanity or presumption. Resistance to such uses remains strong. In 1987, 78 percent of the Usage Panel rejected In 1967, Susan moved from Ithaca to California, where she met her husband-to-be, who, ironically, also came from upstate New York. In 2016, this same sentence was still rejected by 63 percent, though some Panelists noted that it might be acceptable in the right context: if Susan had moved to California to get away from New Yorkers, the irony could lie in the the folly of supposing we can know what fate has in store for us.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ironic
(aɪˈrɒnɪk) orironical
adj
of, characterized by, or using irony
iˈronicalness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
i•ron•ic
(aɪˈrɒn ɪk)also i•ron′i•cal,
adj.
1. of, pertaining to, containing, or characterized by irony or mockery: an ironic smile.
2. using or prone to irony.
3. coincidental; unexpected: It was ironic that I was seated next to my ex-husband at the dinner.
i•ron′i•cal•ly, adv.
i•ron′i•cal•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ironic
- Something is ironic if the result is the opposite of what was intended; an ironic event is an incongruous event, one at odds with what might have been expected.See also related terms for odds.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Adj. | 1. | ironic - 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" |
2. | ironic - 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" incongruous - lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness; "a plan incongruous with reason"; "incongruous behavior"; "a joke that was incongruous with polite conversation" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
ironic
ironicaladjective
1. sarcastic, dry, sharp, acid, bitter, stinging, mocking, sneering, scoffing, wry, scathing, satirical, tongue-in-cheek, sardonic, caustic, double-edged, acerbic, trenchant, mordant, mordacious At the most solemn moments he would make an ironic remark.
2. paradoxical, absurd, contradictory, puzzling, baffling, ambiguous, inconsistent, confounding, enigmatic, illogical, incongruous It's ironic that the sort of people this film celebrates would never watch it.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
ironic
adjectiveThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
irònic
ironický
ironisk
ironinen
ironičan
ironikus
皮肉な風刺的な
풍자적인
ironicus
ironic
ironisk
ที่ชอบเหน็บแนม
mỉa mai
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
ironic
[aɪˈrɒnɪk] adj [remark] → ironique
to be ironic (= joke) [person] → faire de l'ironie
She could not tell if he was being ironic → Elle ne pouvait dire s'il faisait de l'ironie.
to be ironic (= joke) [person] → faire de l'ironie
She could not tell if he was being ironic → Elle ne pouvait dire s'il faisait de l'ironie.
(= odd) → ironique
Does he not find it ironic that → Ne trouve-t-il pas ironique que ...
It seems ironic that it takes a recession to improve choice → Cela semble ironique qu'il faille une récession pour élargir le choix.
it is ironic that ... → l'ironie veut que ...
It is ironic that the people who complain most are the ones who do least → L'ironie veut que ce soit les gens qui se plaignent le plus qui en font le moins.
Does he not find it ironic that → Ne trouve-t-il pas ironique que ...
It seems ironic that it takes a recession to improve choice → Cela semble ironique qu'il faille une récession pour élargir le choix.
it is ironic that ... → l'ironie veut que ...
It is ironic that the people who complain most are the ones who do least → L'ironie veut que ce soit les gens qui se plaignent le plus qui en font le moins.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
ironic(al)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
ironic
[aɪˈrɒnɪk] ironical [aɪˈrɒnɪk/əl] adj → ironico/ait's ironic that ... → è un'ironia (della sorte) che...
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
irony
(ˈaiərəni) – plural ˈironies – noun1. a form of deliberate mockery in which one says the opposite of what is obviously true.
2. seeming mockery in a situation, words etc. The irony of the situation was that he stole the money which she had already planned to give him.
ironic(al) (aiˈronik(l)) adjectiveiˈronically adverb
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
ironic
→ تَهَكُّمِيٌّ ironický ironisk ironisch ειρωνικός irónico ironinen ironique ironičan ironico 皮肉な 풍자적인 ironisch ironisk ironiczny irónico, irônico шуточный ironisk ที่ชอบเหน็บแนม alaycı mỉa mai 讽刺的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009