ironclad

[ adjective ahy-ern-klad; noun ahy-ern-klad ]

/ adjective ˈaɪ ərnˈklæd; noun ˈaɪ ərnˌklæd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ironclad ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

covered or cased with iron plates, as a ship for naval warfare; armor-plated.

very rigid or exacting; inflexible; unbreakable: an ironclad contract.

noun

a wooden warship of the middle or late 19th century having iron or steel armor plating.

Nearby words

iron-pumper, iron-sick, iron-storage disease, ironbark, ironbound, ironclad, irondequoit, irone, ironer, ironfisted, ironhanded

Origin of ironclad

First recorded in 1850–55; iron + clad¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ironclad

The Dallas case is breaking some of our ironclad assumptions.
The CDC Was Wrong About How to Stop Ebola|Kent Sepkowitz|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But its now obvious the ironclad security guarantees they claimed to provide are perfectly hollow.
Ukraine Expects U.S. Military Help If War With Russia Starts|Jamie Dettmer|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The other rule, which is just as ironclad, gave rise to their motto: “Blood In/Blood Out.”
Why I Fear the Aryan Brotherhood—and You Should, Too|Anonymous|April 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
What they need is a workable, ironclad, conflict-ending arrangement to allow them to live side-by-side in peace.
The Lessons of the Nakba|Ziad J. Asali|May 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Ironclad vows like this tend to lock a nation into a position from which it cannot later retreat.
Obama’s ‘No Containment’ AIPAC Speech Made War With Iran Inevitable|Michael Tomasky|March 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Robert designed and projected an ironclad battleship, the first one in the world.
The Age of Invention|Holland Thompson
The ironclad frigates and monitors of modern Spain have been almost all constructed in foreign dockyards.
Spain|Wentworth Webster
You might go so far as t' give that bellerin' ironclad a toot.'
Harbor Tales Down North|Norman Duncan
Bryce was skipper of the Fairy, an iron smack, which was known in the fleet as the Ironclad.
The Lively Poll|R.M. Ballantyne
I would as soon have a paper ship as an ironclad; only give me men to fight her!
A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln|John G. Nicolay

British Dictionary definitions for ironclad

ironclad

adjective (ˌaɪənˈklæd)

covered or protected with ironan ironclad warship

inflexible; rigidan ironclad rule

not able to be assailed or contradictedan ironclad argument

noun (ˈaɪənˌklæd)

a large wooden 19th-century warship with armoured plating

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ironclad

adjective

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of ironclad

Examples from the Web for ironclad

British Dictionary definitions for ironclad

ironclad

adjective (ˌaɪənˈklæd)

noun (ˈaɪənˌklæd)