Ironically

How to spell ironically

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce ironically

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ironically mean?

1. adverbIn a way that is the opposite of what one would expect, often with an amusing or pointed twist of circumstance.
2. adverbIn a manner that says the opposite of what is literally meant, usually for humour or emphasis.

Ironically in a sentence

• Ironically, the fire station itself burned down last winter.

• He thanked his rival ironically for the extra paperwork.

• The safety inspector, ironically, slipped on the wet floor he had just flagged.

• The review praised the broken gadget ironically, calling it a triumph of modern design.

Where does ironically come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This adverb traces back to the Greek noun eirōneia, which literally meant 'feigned ignorance' or 'dissembling', the deliberate pretence of knowing less than one really does. In classical Greek comedy the eirōn was the sly character who played dumb in order to expose a boastful opponent, and that theatrical sense of saying one thing while meaning another lies at the heart of the word. It passed into Latin as ironia and then into English by way of French during the sixteenth century, giving the noun 'irony'. From there English built the adjective 'ironic' and 'ironical', and finally stacked the adverb ending '-ly' on top to give 'ironically'. That long chain of suffixes is exactly why the spelling can feel awkward: the base 'iron' is followed by '-ic', then '-al', then '-ly', so the ending is '-ically' rather than the '-icly' that the pronunciation might tempt you to write.

How the word is built

• iron- (from Greek eirōneia: feigned ignorance, dissembling)
• -ic (adjective)
• -al (adjective)
• -ly (adverb)