What does "irish" mean?
A board game of the tables family.
Irish
/ˈaɪɹɪʃ/ adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A board game of the tables family.
- Grammar: irish is listed as adj, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: bad temper, english, gaeilge, gaelic.
- Useful contrasts: English, foreign, non-Irish.
- Usage evidence: I hear you Irish are a bunch of drinkin' fools.
How to use "irish"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "irish" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "irish" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "irish" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "irish" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "irish" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bad temper" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "irish", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A board game of the tables family. obsolete, uncountable
- 2 the Celtic language of Ireland wordnet
- 3 Temper; anger, passion. US, uncountable
"But her Irish was up too high to do any thing with her, and so I quit trying."
- 4 whiskey made in Ireland chiefly from barley wordnet
- 5 Whiskey, or whisky, elaborated in Ireland. countable, uncountable
"Harris said he'd had enough oratory for one night, and proposed that we should go out and have a smile, saying that he had found a place, round by the square, where you could really get a drop of Irish worth drinking."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 people of Ireland or of Irish extraction wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Pertaining to or originating from Ireland or the Irish people.
"Sheep are typical in the Irish landscape."
- 2 Pertaining to the Irish language.
- 3 nonsensical, daft or complex. derogatory
"The slur continued with Irish confetti, a popular term for paving stones or Belgian bricks that were laid in New York streets beginning about 1832."
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to or characteristic of Ireland or its people wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The Gaelic language indigenous to Ireland, also known as Irish Gaelic. uncountable
"Irish is the first official and national language of Ireland."
- 2 The Irish people.
"Many Irish are actually darkhaired as a result of the many invaders and migrants over the centuries."
- 3 A surname originating as an ethnonym.
- 4 A female given name of chiefly Philippine usage.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I hear you Irish are a bunch of drinkin' fools."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "irish"?
Common synonyms include: bad temper, english, gaeilge, gaelic, gin, goidelic language.
How do you use "irish" in a sentence?
I hear you Irish are a bunch of drinkin' fools.
How do you pronounce "irish"?
Pronounced /ˈaɪɹɪʃ/.
Etymology
From Middle English Irish (12th c.), from Old English *Īrisċ, from Old English Īras (“Irishmen”), from Old Norse Írar, from Old Irish Ériu (modern Irish Éire (“Ireland”)), further origin heavily debated but probably from Proto-Celtic *Φīweriyū (“fat land, fertile”), from Proto-Indo-European *péyh₂wr̥ (“fat, swelling”), from *peyh₂- (“to swell; to be fat”), akin to Ancient Greek πίειρα (píeira, “fertile land”), Sanskrit पीवरी (pīvarī, “fat”).