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Definition of ironic adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

ironic

adjective
 
 
/aɪˈrɒnɪk/
 
/aɪˈrɑːnɪk/
(also less frequent ironical
 
/aɪˈrɒnɪkl/
 
/aɪˈrɑːnɪkl/
)
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  1.  
    showing that you really mean the opposite of what you are saying; expressing irony
    • an ironic comment
    Extra Examples
    • He was greeted with ironic cheers from opposition MPs.
    • She sent him a faintly ironic sideways glance.
    Topics Languagec1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • seem
    • find something
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    • …
    See full entry
  2.  
    (of a situation) strange or funny because it is very different from what you expect
    • it is ironic that… It's ironic that she became a teacher—she used to hate school.
    see also irony
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • seem
    • find something
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    • …
    See full entry
    3. Word Originmid 17th cent.: from French ironique or late Latin ironicus, from Greek eirōnikos ‘dissembling, feigning ignorance’, from eirōneia ‘simulated ignorance’, from eirōn ‘dissembler’.
See ironic in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee ironic in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: ironic

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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