Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Characterized by or constituting irony.
- adjective Given to the use of irony.
- adjective Poignantly contrary to what was expected or intended.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Same as
ironical .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Ironical.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Characterized by or constituting (any kind of)
irony . - adjective Given to the use of irony;
sarcastic .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is
- adjective humorously sarcastic or mocking
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word ironic.
Examples
-
I found the title ironic, because whether my pain was all in my head or not, it was definitely in my head.
Chocolate & Vicodin Jennette Fulda 2011
-
I found the title ironic, because whether my pain was all in my head or not, it was definitely in my head.
Chocolate & Vicodin Jennette Fulda 2011
-
Alanis Morissette may not know the true meaning of the word "ironic," but she's turned into a fine actress, something she's bound to prove once again when she guest-stars as a bride-to-be on
www.startribune.com 2012
-
Such name-calling makes the term ironic, not a vehicle for oppression.
UCLA Stories 2009
-
Making this even more ironic is the fact that the tighter standards the Chamber is trying to block would reduce by over 2 million the number of days of school kids miss due to air-pollution related illnesses.
Pete Altman: Scholastic Steps Into the Chamber of Hypocrisy Pete Altman 2010
-
Making this even more ironic is the fact that the tighter standards the Chamber is trying to block would reduce by over 2 million the number of days of school kids miss due to air-pollution related illnesses.
Pete Altman: Scholastic Steps Into the Chamber of Hypocrisy Pete Altman 2010
-
Even more ironic is it that Facebook founder and Waiting for Superman enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg can donate $110 million to finance Newark's public school reform, while we teachers and our students are barred from accessing Facebook on school computers and using it as a teaching/learning tool.
Mike Klonsky: When I tried Showing my Students a Video, Alarms went off Mike Klonsky 2010
-
What's ironic is that conservatives made similar claims in 2006 after the Democrats took control of Congress.
Brendan Nyhan: The fallacy of insufficient extremism Brendan Nyhan 2010
-
Even more ironic is it that Facebook founder and Waiting for Superman enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg can donate $110 million to finance Newark's public school reform, while we teachers and our students are barred from accessing Facebook on school computers and using it as a teaching/learning tool.
Mike Klonsky: When I tried Showing my Students a Video, Alarms went off Mike Klonsky 2010
-
Making this even more ironic is the fact that the tighter standards the Chamber is trying to block would reduce by over 2 million the number of days of school kids miss due to air-pollution related illnesses.
Pete Altman: Scholastic Steps Into the Chamber of Hypocrisy Pete Altman 2010
tankexmortis commented on the word ironic
<@ZoFreX> goddammit
<@ZoFreX> I forgot the definition of irony
<@ZoFreX> so I went to look it up on Wikipedia
<@ZoFreX> but Wikipedia is down
<@ZoFreX> AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT'S IRONIC OR NOT
December 3, 2006
seanahan commented on the word ironic
It isn't at all ironic, under any definition of irony that I've ever heard.
December 3, 2006
tankexmortis commented on the word ironic
I'd argue it fell under the category of cosmic irony. From the aforementioned Wikipedia page:
"Cosmic irony is a sharp incongruity between our expectation of an outcome and what actually occurs, as if the universe were mocking us."
December 3, 2006
seanahan commented on the word ironic
There is a sharp incongruity between expecting to look something up on Wikipedia and Wikipedia being down? The universe was really mocking ZoFreX because Wikipedia wasn't working? Under this definition, "I went to the store to buy some milk, but they were out" is ironic, which just doesn't work for me.
December 3, 2006
tankexmortis commented on the word ironic
If he were going to the store to buy milk, riding a milk-powered car and eating milksicles then I'd say sure, it'd be ironic. Because there's an abundance of milk in the context. Just as this guy was looking for irony but was rendered unable to by a force which may or may not be ironic. That is, his not getting to the page isn't ironic, but his continued confusion because of his inability to access the page is.
The section on the page that talks about comic irony also has some similar uses.
"...an ironic situation might involve getting hit by a rib-delivery truck after trying to poison someone with bad rib-sauce in order to steal his or her gems,"
"...a hapless cat is trapped against an inside house window, having to watch the once-in-a-lifetime consequences of a collison outside between a truck labeled "Al's Rodents," and another labeled "Ernie's Small, Flightless Birds.""
December 3, 2006
tankexmortis commented on the word ironic
I'm pretty sure that us being the first people to argue about the definition of irony on this site makes us heroes of pedantry. :D
December 3, 2006
pedalinfaith commented on the word ironic
For something to be ironic, it must be both coincidental and paradoxical (or at the very least counterintuitive). Not just coincidental or even coincidental and unfortunate. To say, "Ironically, we arrived at the same time," would be incorrect unless, perhaps, both of you left from the same point at the same time but one of you headed West by donkey and the other traveled by plane, heading East.
Personally, I like an element of poetic justice as well. So, if the donkey rider also sat atop an animal named "Glider" and the plane passenger had acted like an ass, well, that's ironic.
December 8, 2006
seanahan commented on the word ironic
Let's play a game. Count the number of times irony is used on this site. First one to spot it 10 times wins a prize.
December 8, 2006
jough commented on the word ironic
Despite what the song says, rain on your wedding day, or a free ride when you've already paid, is not ironic. It sucks, but it's not ironic.
December 8, 2006
lampbane commented on the word ironic
"A traffic jam when you're already late
A 'no smoking' sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic...dontcha think
A little too ironic...and yeah I really do think..."
January 10, 2007
zofrex commented on the word ironic
For reference, once Wikipedia was back up again, I concluded that it was not ironic :)
May 2, 2007
jennarenn commented on the word ironic
Awesome.
May 3, 2007
iangilman commented on the word ironic
As seen in a Cracked's 9 Words That Don't Mean What You Think.
November 26, 2007
sarahlena commented on the word ironic
when you say something but you really don´t mean that, opposite of that what you mean
May 15, 2009
Sorcha commented on the word ironic
There was once a very poor couple. The woman had long, beautiful hair of which she was very fond, so for Christmas, the man bought her a beautiful comb; to afford it, he had to sell his watch, which he prized very highly. The woman knew he loved this watch, so she bought him a beautiful new chain for it, but to afford it, she had to cut off and sell all her hair.
March 23, 2011
ruzuzu commented on the word ironic
In defense of Alanis... she's just saying it's like those things. She's not saying it is those things.
*expects volley of fufluns*
March 23, 2011