ironically

adverb

iron·​i·​cal·​ly ˌī-ˈrä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

 also  i-ˈrä-

1

: in an ironic manner

2

: it is ironic, curious, or surprising

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The homesick New York City native had ironically high standards in her new home: the Bay Area, whose lack of quality bagels at the time had driven her to learn to bake her own. —Elena Kadvany, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2023

But, recently, a transcript—ironically, in German—of the original broadcast was found in a Swiss federal archive and re-translated into French. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2023

Josh Gasser, who ironically was in my office last night, did that. —Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2023

The hackers then uploaded the film to YouTube, ironically returning it to its point of inception. —Katie Rife, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2023

Tokyo, a spooky game that came out last March as, ironically, a console exclusive on PS5. —Jay Peters, The Verge, 25 Jan. 2023

With the outermost layers of the sun so far and disconnected from the core, the surface temperature ironically drops, with its color shifting to longer wavelengths. —Popular Mechanics, 25 Jan. 2023

Though, ironically, Rita Moreno was on an episode of The Golden Girls, a backdoor pilot for what eventually became Empty Nest. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Jan. 2023

But the fish-eye look is perhaps best associated with the 1990s — the decade that is at turns lovingly and ironically emulated by Gen Z. —Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1