ironical
Saying the opposite
Ironical is an older or more formal variant of ironic, meaning expressing irony—saying one thing while meaning another, or marked by a strange incongruity between expectation and outcome.
Both forms are correct, though ironic dominates in contemporary usage: How ironical that the fire station burned down.
Some speakers prefer ironical for the rhetorical device and ironic for situational incongruity, but this distinction is not consistently observed.
Mockingly critical in tone
- bitingHarshly critical or cold
- causticChemically burning; bitterly mocking
- acerbicSharp and biting
- sardonicGrimly mocking
mordant · cutting · sharp · stinging · scathing · barbed · pointed · withering
Free from moisture
- understatedDeliberately minimized in expression
- subtleNot immediately obvious
- deadpanExpressionless, especially for humor
- drollOddly humorous
laconic · tongue-in-cheek · knowing · arch · self-deprecating · rueful · amused · bemused
Expressing scorn facially
- tauntingInsulting to provoke
- scornfulShowing open contempt
- derisiveExpressing contemptuous ridicule
- contemptuousShowing open disrespect
jeering · ridiculing · disdainful · scoffing · teasing · jibing · snide · lampooning
Satirical imitation
- lampoonHarsh public mockery
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- burlesqueExaggerated mockery or risqué variety
- spoofComic exaggerated imitation
pastiche · travesty · send-up · satire · mockery · skewering · wit · commentary
Logically opposed to itself
- incongruousNot fitting together harmoniously
- counterintuitiveContrary to expectations
- unexpectedNot anticipated beforehand
- contraryOpposed in nature
opposite · inverted · reversed · antithetical · twist · turnabout · poetic justice · coincidental
snarky
Mockingly critical in tone
sardonic · mordant · cutting · sharp · stinging · scathing · barbed · pointed · withering · acid
dry
Free from moisture
- understatedDeliberately minimized in expression
- subtleNot immediately obvious
- deadpanExpressionless, especially for humor
droll · laconic · tongue-in-cheek · knowing · arch · self-deprecating · rueful · amused · bemused · whimsical
sneering
Expressing scorn facially
contemptuous · jeering · ridiculing · disdainful · scoffing · teasing · jibing · snide · lampooning · caricaturing
parody
Satirical imitation
- lampoonHarsh public mockery
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- burlesqueExaggerated mockery or risqué variety
spoof · pastiche · travesty · send-up · satire · mockery · skewering · wit · commentary · critique
contradictory
Logically opposed to itself
- incongruousNot fitting together harmoniously
- counterintuitiveContrary to expectations
- unexpectedNot anticipated beforehand
contrary · opposite · inverted · reversed · antithetical · twist · turnabout · poetic justice · coincidental · fitting
ironicalsincere
Genuinely felt, not feigned
literal · straightforward · earnest · genuine · unironic
ironicalearnest
Sincerely intense in purpose
deferential · respectful · serious · solemn · heartfelt
ironicalhumorless
Without wit or levity
humourless · unhumorous · mirthless · unfunny · dry
- ironic twistContrary outcome with humor
- ironic toneExpression conveying opposite meaning
- ironic humorHumor through contradiction
- ironic detachmentEmotional distance via cynicism
- ironic expressionSpeech meaning its opposite