Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In an ironical manner; by way of irony; by the use of irony.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb manner In an ironic manner, in a way displaying irony.
  • adverb evaluative Used to draw attention to an ironic aspect of a situation being described.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb in an ironic manner
  • adverb contrary to plan or expectation

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

ironic +‎ -ally

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Examples

  • Socialism is not "great," as the title ironically notes, but rather fosters an air of paranoia and repression so strong that Ms. Zhang is soon doing everything in her power to break out of the mold.

    Growing Up With China Malia Politzer 2008

  • I forgot to mention that my insurance provider is "converting" (and yes, I use the term ironically) to a for-profit company (something I like to call "more openly for profit", since the Blues simply use the non-profit status as an umbrella for numerous for-profit subsidiaries), and they're cutting their contracts with two of the biggest and best hospitals in the area -

    Suburban Guerrilla 2008

  • They said the name ironically, but Lizbeth knew it made sense.

    The Welkening Gregory Spencer 2004

  • They said the name ironically, but Lizbeth knew it made sense.

    The Welkening Gregory Spencer 2004

  • This reduces the movie to nothing more than a slasher film (which, ironically, is what the original franchise became after the first movie anyway).

    Movie Review: A Nightmare on Elm Street » Scene-Stealers 2010

  • Your policy, ironically, is much more damaging to freedom since you are forcing people to buy a product and I assume insurance companies will be allowed to call the gov't in on you if they suspect you are not buying .....

    Health Care Reform, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009

  • The observation that a casual reader of the sciences understands they are getting an ‘upshot’ of a complicated process ironically is proven false by the very article that is being referenced.

    Perils of pop philosophy 2009

  • Casper feels trapped, as does a Honduran teen named Sayra (Paulina Gaitan) who, ironically, is traveling North with her uncle and a father she barely knows to cross the U.S.

    “Sin Nombre” a stirring tale of hardship » Scene-Stealers 2009

  • The result, perhaps ironically, is to poison the cognitive system in ways that make it less likely, in a variety of contexts, that they will be able to sort truth from falsehood.

    Unpersuasive Arguments for Free Will 2009

  • The result, perhaps ironically, is to poison the cognitive system in ways that make it less likely, in a variety of contexts, that they will be able to sort truth from falsehood.

    Unpersuasive Arguments for Free Will 2009

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