ironic

«ironic» in Mova's school dictionary: the opposite of what you would expect, as in «It's ironic… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (ironic, more ironic)

meaning for a pupil

1) Strange or funny because it is the opposite of what you would expect, as in «It's ironic that the fire station burned down». tree →

2) Saying the opposite of what you mean as a joke, as in an ironic «Great weather!» when it rains. tree →

sense in the lessons

In English lessons: irony in stories and poems — the reader knows something characters don't (dramatic irony). In everyday talk: people say «ironic» for jokes that mean the opposite. It tells the reader there is a twist.

examples

• It's ironic that the swimming teacher can't swim. tree →
• «Lovely day,» he said in an ironic voice as it poured. tree →
• It was ironic that the alarm clock made him late. tree →
• Her ironic comment made us laugh. tree →
• The story ends in an ironic twist. tree →
• It's ironic that the «No Litter» sign was lying on the ground. tree →

note

Noun: irony; adverb: ironically. Trap: «ironic» is not the same as just bad luck or a coincidence — it needs a twist against expectation. It has nothing to do with iron the metal.

Trees and pragmatics

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