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ironic

i·ron·ic [ ī rónnik ] or i·ron·i·cal [ ī rónnik'l ]


adjective 
Definition:
 
1. involving irony: deliberately stating the opposite of the truth, usually with the intention or result of being amusing

2. apparently contradictory: involving a surprising or apparently contradictory fact


i·ron·i·cal·ness noun

Word Usage
Is it really irony or is it merely coincidence?

When you use irony, ironic, and ironically, be sure that you use them in contexts associated with stark incongruity, inconsistency, or even folly, and not in contexts associated with things merely coincidental or improbable. This use of ironically is inappropriate, and coincidentally is the better choice: Ironically, both the defense counsel and the prosecutor graduated from Yale Law School. Appropriate use of irony requires an incongruity between what is expected and what has happened in fact: Ironically, because they lacked sophisticated computers they developed efficient algorithms that can now add to the power of supercomputers.


Word Key: Synonyms

See sarcastic.

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