ironic
adjective /aɪˈrɒnɪk/
/aɪˈrɑːnɪk/
(also less frequent ironical
/aɪˈrɒnɪkl/
/aɪˈrɑːnɪkl/
)- showing that you really mean the opposite of what you are saying; expressing irony
- an ironic comment
Extra ExamplesTopics Languagec1- He was greeted with ironic cheers from opposition MPs.
- She sent him a faintly ironic sideways glance.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- find something
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- (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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- find something
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from French ironique or late Latin ironicus, from Greek eirōnikos ‘dissembling, feigning ignorance’, from eirōneia ‘simulated ignorance’, from eirōn ‘dissembler’.