Meaning & use

ironical

adjective·Advanced

Characterized by irony; happening in a way that is the opposite of what would normally be expected.

See it in a sentence

It was rather ironical that the fire station itself burned down last winter.

He made an ironical comment about the traffic jam near the new highway meant to reduce congestion.

A note on using this word

Ironical means essentially the same as ironic, but ironic is now far more common in everyday English.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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