ironical

Ironical is an English adjective relating to irony, the use of words or situations that convey a meaning opposite to their literal sense or that highlight an incongruity between expectation and reality. It can describe language, remarks, attitudes, or events that express irony, or the broader device of irony itself.

In contemporary usage, the term ironic is far more common than ironical. Ironical is now considered old-fashioned or literary by many speakers, and it often appears in formal or historical contexts. Some writers use ironical to emphasize deliberate irony or to discuss irony as a concept rather than to describe everyday speech. When used, ironical tends to carry a sense of distance or scholarly tone.

Etymology traces ironical to the broader noun irony, which comes from Latin ironia and Greek eirōneía. The English adjective ironical formed from irony with the typical -al suffix, and over time it has largely been supplanted by ironic in ordinary usage.

Related terms include ironic (the more common adjective describing ironic speech or circumstances) and irony (the noun for the rhetorical device or the outcome that is unexpected). Ironical remains understood, especially in older or more formal writings, but modern usage favors ironic for most purposes.