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Synonyms

aggravating, annoying, bothersome, frustrating, galling, irritating, pesty, vexatious—more at ANNOYING

1iron noun [ORIGIN: ME, fr. OE īsern, īren]

1 : a heavy malleable magnetic metallic chemical element that rusts easily and is vital to biological processes

2 a : something made of metal and esp. iron

b plural : something (as handcuffs) used to bind or restrain

3 : a household device with a flat base that is heated and used for pressing cloth

4 : STRENGTH, HARDNESS

Synonyms

usually irons band, bond, chain, fetter, ligature, manacle, shackle—more at BOND

2iron verb 1 : to press or smooth with or as if with a heated iron

2 : to remove (as wrinkles) by ironing

— iron·er noun

1ironclad adjective 1 : sheathed in iron armor

2 : so firm or secure as to be unbreakable

2ironclad noun : an armored naval vessel esp. of the 19th century

iron curtain noun : a political, military, and ideological barrier that isolates an area; especially often cap : one formerly isolating an area under Soviet control

iron·ic also iron·i·cal adjective 1 : of, relating to, or marked by irony

2 : given to irony

iron·i·cal·ly adverb 1 : in an ironic manner

2 : it is ironic

iron·ing noun : clothes ironed or to be ironed

iron lung noun : a device for artificial respiration that encloses the chest in a chamber in which changes of pressure force air into and out of the lungs

iron out verb : to remove or lessen difficulties in or extremes of

iron oxide noun : FERRIC OXIDE

iron·stone noun 1 : a hard iron-rich sedimentary rock

2 : a hard heavy durable pottery developed in England in the 19th century

iron·ware noun : articles made of iron

iron·weed noun : any of a genus of mostly weedy plants related to the asters that have terminal heads of red, purple, or white flowers

iron·wood noun : any of numerous trees or shrubs with exceptionally hard wood; also : the wood

iron·work noun 1 : work in iron

2 plural : a mill or building where iron or steel is smelted or heavy iron or steel products are made

— iron·work·er noun

iro·ny noun, plural -nies [ORIGIN: L ironia, fr. Gk eirōnia, fr. eirōn dissembler]

1 : the use of words to express the opposite of what one really means

2 : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the expected result

Ir·o·quois noun, plural Iroquois 1 plural : an American Indian confederacy orig. of New York that consisted of the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca and later included the Tuscarora

2 : a member of any of the Iroquois peoples

ir·ra·di·ate verb -at·ed; -at·ing 1 : to supply or brighten with light : ILLUMINATE

2 : ENLIGHTEN

3 : to treat by exposure to radiation

4 : RADIATE

— ir·ra·di·a·tion noun

1irrational adjective 1 : incapable of reasoning <~ beasts>; also : defective in mental power <~ with fever>

2 : not based on reason <~ fears>

3 : being or numerically equal to an irrational number

— ir·ra·tio·nal·i·ty noun

— ir·ra·tio·nal·ly adverb

Synonyms

fallacious, illogical, invalid, unreasonable, unsound, weak—more at ILLOGICAL

2irrational noun : IRRATIONAL NUMBER

irrational number noun : a real number that cannot be expressed as the quotient of two integers

ir·rec·on·cil·able adjective : impossible to reconcile, adjust, or harmonize

— ir·rec·on·cil·abil·i·ty noun

ir·re·cov·er·able adjective : not capable of being recovered or rectified : IRREPARABLE

— ir·re·cov·er·ably adverb

ir·re·deem·able adjective 1 : not redeemable; especially : not terminable by payment of the principal

2 : not convertible into gold or silver at the will of the holder

3 : being beyond remedy

Synonyms

hopeless, incorrigible, incurable, irremediable, irreparable, unrecoverable, unredeemable—more at HOPELESS

ir·re·den·tism noun : a principle or policy directed toward the incorporation of a territory historically or ethnically part of another into that other

— ir·re·den·tist noun or adjective

ir·re·duc·ible adjective