Ironic

How to spell ironic

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce ironic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ironic mean?

1. adjectiveMarked by a meaning that is deliberately opposite to the literal words, or by an outcome that is pointedly contrary to what was expected.

Ironic in a sentence

• His ironic tone made it clear he did not really admire the decision.

• It felt ironic that the fire station itself burned down.

Where does ironic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek eirōneia, which meant 'dissimulation' or 'feigned ignorance', the verbal trick of saying one thing while clearly meaning another. The noun grew from eirōn, a stock character in Greek comedy who pretended to know less than he did in order to expose a boastful rival. The Greek passed into Latin as ironia and then into French as ironique, and English adopted the adjective form in the late 1500s. For a long time it described only this rhetorical pose of saying the opposite of what one means, but it later widened to cover situations where the outcome is pointedly contrary to what was expected. The single r and single n catch many writers out, since the rhythm of the word tempts a doubled consonant that the spelling never had.

How the word is built

• iron- (from Greek eirōn: a dissembler who feigns ignorance)
• -ic (adjective suffix)