The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
IRONIC
Definition of IRONIC
adjective
Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
Wiktionary · CC BY-SA
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Late Latin īrōnicus, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνικός (eirōnikós). Compare Middle French, ironique, equivalent to irony + -ic.
Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).
Word DNA
Line of descent
- Ancient Greek
- Latin
- English
2 recorded generations before English.
Deepest traced root
3rd
of 59 source languages in OUTLIER
12.4%
of traced words share this origin (10,094)
branch · 12.4% of traced words
How it is built
Same root, IRONIC · 2 relatives in the game
Its etymology also names Middle French.
OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.
IRONIC in OUTLIER
Players have found it on 22 boards so far. 20 players have found it across Outlier's history.
It first turned up on Day 6, 27 May 2026. The most recent board was Day 157, 24 October 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 5 days.
First ever to find it
on Day 6, 27 May 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers
Built from these letters
IRONIC starts with I and ends with C. Sorted, its letters read CIINOR - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. I appears more than once.
Same letters, different word
One other word uses exactly these letters. Worth knowing at the board: an anagram fits a grid the same way.
Words that start IRONIC
Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.
Also seen on Day 6
Could you have found IRONIC?
OUTLIER is a daily word game. One grid, the same grid for everybody, and the words nobody else spots are the ones that pay. This word was on Day 6 - and most players walked straight past it.
Play today's OUTLIER