unironic

adjective

un·​iron·​ic ˌən-ˌī-ˈrä-nik How to pronounce unironic (audio)
also -i-ˈrä-
: not ironic
especially : not using or given to irony : sincere
… on the topic of medals and awards he is totally unironic—he takes them seriously … —Paul Fussell
unironically
ˌən-ˌī-ˈrä-ni-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce unironic (audio)
also -i-ˈrä-
adverb
The first album was easygoing and frequently humorous, but it was also bracingly direct and … unironically passionate. —Greg Sandow

Examples of unironic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Vanity Fair of today embodies a certain sort of lavishness—an often unironic appreciation of and yearning for rich people things. — Naomi Skwarna, hazlitt.net, 13 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, the unironic, light-hearted rom-com has been replaced with cynicism and flippancy. — Meg Walters, Glamour, 3 Apr. 2026 Rainer Maria Rilke’s temperament, it could be said, was fragile, ghost-haunted, unironic, unthrifty, reliant, romantic, intermittently animistic, and decidedly non-avant-garde. — Joy Williams, The New York Review of Books, 25 Feb. 2026 Suddenly, any type of unironic persona-forward material entered the hall of mirrors of performativity criticism. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unironic

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unironic was in 1938

Rhymes for unironic

See All Rhymes for unironic

Browse Nearby Words

unironed
unironic
unirradiated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unironic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unironic. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gist

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All