Ironical

//aɪˈɹɒnɪkəl// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.

    "“So, ultimately, I realized I have been completely ruining my life and my face. What is ironical is that I was only doing this to make myself look better for my wife Marwa. This was for her, not for me.”"

  2. 2
    Given to the use of irony; sarcastic.

    "His tone was cold and ironical; its bitterness but reflecting the terrible disappointment he had suffered."

  3. 3
    Feigning ignorance; simulating lack of instruction or knowledge; exhibiting Socratic irony. obsolete
Adjective
  1. 1
    characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is wordnet
  2. 2
    humorously sarcastic or mocking wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
ironicdryincisiveincongruousironicironic

Example

More examples

"His ironical remarks are not directed at you."

Etymology

From ironic + -al. Attested since the 1570s.

Related phrases

socratic irony

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.