variants
also ironical
as in acidic
marked by an often negative or mocking form of wit in which words are used to express something different to their literal meaning
a book written in an ironic style an ironic sense of humor
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ironic
Rob Blake’s departure as general manager, which team president Luc Robitaille insisted was voluntary, comes at an ironic time.
—
Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 10 May 2025
In the absence of such confidence, the aesthetic would be frivolous and decadent, or bitterly ironic.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 May 2025
This is especially — and tragically — ironic because the current problems derive largely from the largest peacetime expansion of the money supply in at least a century.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 11 May 2025
Pilecki’s life ended on a particularly bitter and darkly ironic note.
—Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ironic
Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 10 May 2025
In the absence of such confidence, the aesthetic would be frivolous and decadent, or bitterly ironic.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 May 2025
This is especially — and tragically — ironic because the current problems derive largely from the largest peacetime expansion of the money supply in at least a century.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 11 May 2025
Pilecki’s life ended on a particularly bitter and darkly ironic note.
—Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ironic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ironic
Adjective
-
The way the soil responds will give you an idea of whether your soil is acidic, alkaline, or neutral.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 May 2025
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The acidic soil at Sutton Hoo, which rotted away the wood of the Anglo-Saxon ship and only left impressions of planks and rows of iron rivets, means that many of the bone combs previously found at Sutton Hoo have not been well-preserved, Howarth said.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Is this a cynical attempt to rescue their party from a political free fall?—
John Opdycke,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 May 2025
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And so Lee’s reinterpretation strains to leave us on a high instead of a low, as befits the finale of an update so compellingly eager to flip the script on one of Kurosawa’s most cynical films.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Azaleas do like an acid soil and grow best when the soil acidity is in the pH range of 4.5 to 5.5.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2025
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Fluoride also replaces minerals lost from teeth due to acid breakdown, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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He’s regarded as someone who’s down-to-earth, a tremendous teammate and a dressing room cutup thanks to his quick and wry sense of humour.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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The sense of incidence with which May ’68 plays out, far in the background, speaks to a film for which the political is of little importance, or at least one that reflects the political through wry non-confrontations.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Hired as a live-in caretaker in the opulent home, Ana Maria (Jenny Navarrete), a pregnant Colombian immigrant in Panama City hiding a major secret, develops a genuine bond with the initially standoffish Mechi, making for an unassumingly poignant and superbly acted two-hander.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2025
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Attendees can learn more about the late first lady’s passion work as an advocate for the environment and her passion for wildflowers during this poignant, humorous portrayal by Goddard, an actress and historian.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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In the Colorado River Basin, April and May were very dry.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2025
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These innocuous-seeming actions can kindle dry vegetation, potentially spawning a wildfire.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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While the jeers towards Xhaka followed the midfielder, Arsenal’s captain at the time, retaliating to sarcastic cheers from the crowd at him being replaced in an October 2019 home match against Crystal Palace, those directed at Eboue were due to his performance.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
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His first half was littered with increasingly ridiculous highlights: a lefty hook over Isaiah Hartenstein, a potpourri of 3s with hands in his face, a sarcastic stare-down after his defender tried taking a charge, followed by a pass to himself off the backboard to simplify the finish.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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All Systems Red is a legible introduction to Wells’ hyper-capitalist, playfully satiric galaxy.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
16 May 2025
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That’s the premise of Douglas Is Cancelled, a cruelly funny 2024 BBC sitcom that seems very much in sync with satiric comedies such as The Office and W1A and Yes Minister.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ironic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ironic. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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