ironical

American  

[ahy-ron-i-kuhl] / aɪˈrɒn ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. pertaining to, of the nature of, exhibiting, or characterized by irony or mockery: an ironical smile.

   an ironical compliment;

   an ironical smile.

   Synonyms:

   sardonic, sarcastic

2. using or prone to irony.

   an ironical speaker.

   Synonyms:

   sardonic, sarcastic

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Other Word Forms

• ironically adverb
• ironicalness noun
• nonironical adjective
• nonironicalness noun
• semi-ironical adjective
• unironical adjective

Etymology

Origin of ironical

First recorded in 1570–80; ironic + -al ¹

Explanation

Something that's ironical is wryly funny, especially because it doesn't match up with your expectations. It would be ironical to name your enormous Great Dane "Tiny." You can describe this kind of humor, situation, or literary device as either ironical or ironic — in the US it's more common to use the latter. A famously ironical passage from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" goes like this: "Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.” In other words, it's ironical that despite being surrounded by water, the mariner is thirsty. The word comes from the Greek eironikos, "putting on a feigned ignorance."

Example Sentences

Knight has taken the novel’s Gothic elements and smeared them over whatever was light or comical or ironical in the original.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2023

“I don’t know if it’s ironical, or a blessing, but I had 20 years of experience being around disabled athletes, so I have an understanding of what’s going on,” he said.

From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2022

Nine years her senior, he was brimming with the confident, ironical charm bestowed by élite English schools.

From The New Yorker • May 13, 2019

Greif is the co-founder of the Brooklyn literary journal n+1, and he shares with his cenacle formidable powers of analysis, a coolly ironical worldview and a vaguely Marxist orientation.

From Washington Post • Mar. 8, 2017

Even his spectacles seemed to wear an ironical gleam.

From "1984" by George Orwell