ironclad

«ironclad» in Mova's school dictionary: covered or protected with iron plates — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (ironclad); noun (an ironclad, ironclads)

meaning for a pupil

1) Ironclad means covered or protected with iron plates. tree →

2) An ironclad was a 19th-century warship covered with iron armour. tree →

3) (figurative) Ironclad means so strong it cannot be broken or doubted: «an ironclad promise». tree →

sense in the lessons

In history lessons ironclads appear in the American Civil War, where the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia fought in 1862, the first battle between ironclad ships. In everyday and news language «ironclad» means very sure: an ironclad excuse, alibi or guarantee. Phrases: «ironclad guarantee», «ironclad alibi», «ironclad ship».

examples

• The ironclad ship could not be sunk by wooden cannonballs. tree →
• The USS Monitor was a famous ironclad. tree →
• The detective found that the butler had an ironclad alibi. tree →
• The company gave an ironclad guarantee that the toy was safe. tree →
• Ironclads replaced wooden warships in the 1800s. tree →
• Her excuse was ironclad: she was at the dentist. tree →

note

One word, no hyphen. «Clad» means clothed or covered (as in «snow-clad hills»). The figurative sense is common in news and law.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «ironclad» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.