ironically
Americanadverb
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in a way that uses words to mean the opposite of what they normally mean, or makes an obvious exaggeration or understatement, as a joke or in order to make a point.
French author Voltaire ironically commented on war, “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”
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in a way that is the opposite of what would be expected, often as a remarkable coincidence.
Ironically, one of the main messages of this text on warfare is how to avoid battle through meticulous preparation and planning.
adverb
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(sentence modifier) it is ironic that
ironically, McCoist has never scored against Rangers
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in an ironic manner
I laughed ironically
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ironically
First recorded in 1530–40; ironical ( def. ) + -ly
Explanation
When you see the word ironically, you know there's a disconnect between what is happening and what was expected to happen. You won the race, even though, ironically, you're the only one who didn't train. Ironically and the noun it's related to — irony — come from the Greek eiron meaning "dissembler, someone who hides the truth." But irony isn’t exactly untruthful — it's just not what you expect. Your mother sent you off to camp so you could become a champion tennis player, but, ironically, you broke your leg the first day and spent the summer playing bridge instead. You didn’t get what you (or your mother) expected.
Vocabulary lists containing ironically
Hoot
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Ghost
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The Tipping Point
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I was the first of my friends to abandon the app, but ironically, there was an unexpected positive effect of having trial-run Finch: I became actually committed to self-care.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
In a show that inevitably can seem dated — Lorelai and Rory watch it, ironically, in an episode of “Gilmore Girls” — Fabares reads as unusually modern.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
For those who’d insisted that only self-paced classes would attract the market share of international business, the people taking my classes ironically spanned 50 countries.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
“You can say anything you want on the trombone,” Ellington noted, “but you gotta be careful with words”—an aptly worded statement, ironically.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
“And you don’t think that they had any encouragement?” he asked me ironically.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
