Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Promoting peace; conciliatory.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Promoting or fitted to promote peace; peaceful; pacific: chiefly used in theology. See irenicon and irenics.
Wiktionary
- adj. Promoting or fitted to promote peace; conciliatory, non-confrontational; peaceful.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Fitted or designed to promote peace; pacific; conciliatory; peaceful.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. conducive to peace
Etymologies
- From Ancient Greek είρηνικος, from εἰρήνη ("peace"). (Wiktionary)
- Greek eirēnikos, from eirēnē, peace. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“During one episode of "Firing Line," Buckley used the word "irenic," provoking his seething guest to demand why he didn't just say "peaceful.”
“To call the BioLogos Foundation "irenic" is far too charitable.”
“I will say one thing in passing, however, by way of addressing several specific points (your use of the term "irenic", etc.): you frequently complain that I have either misrepresented what you have written or have drawn the wrong implications from it.”
“Most have taken that as a reference to the false illusion of an irenic future that Disney offers.”
“The NASFiC, named “ReConStruction” (very irenic for a Southern con), will be held August 5 – 8, 2010, early enough to make it feasible to attend both it and the Worldcon in Australia.”
“There are indeed divisions in political life that need to be confronted and fully discussed, just as there are genuine differences among Christians over the nature of the sacraments or the role of the Church in social struggles or the authority of scripture – difference that cannot be eliminated simply by irenic rhetoric.”
“Of course, we should not be overly irenic about the relationship between sharia and Western law.”
The Huffington Post: Sherman A. Jackson: Sharia And Day To Day Existence
“As celebrations of non-denominational and undifferentiated spirituality, they were irenic, life-affirming, even moving.”
“Careful observers will note that Stephen Hawking's language has been more irenic.”
The Huffington Post: Philip Clayton, Ph.D.: Is Stephen Hawking Right About God?
“Don't worry Peter L. - I don't doubt that you are more representative of Judaism (I'm a Christian) than some of the smearers here (Melanie is irenic in comparison to them). oh, by the way, I've corresponded with Howard Jacobson a couple of times.”
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with...
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘irenic’.
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briwref's list
defalcation, macerate, beldam, nescience, ochlocracy, bibelot, estivate, spatulated, introversive, mastoidal, belletristic, objurgation and 108 more...
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phrontistery - i
from phrontistery.info
izzat, izzard, ixiodic, izard, ivresse, ixora, ivorist, ivoride, ivorine, iulus, iulan, ithomiid and 510 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, I
irenic, inimical, ignotism, infrangible, internecine, illumine, ingot, imposter, iconoclast, indefeasible, indefatigable, impingement and 184 more...
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Real words that I love
Words that make me happy in my pants AND have a place in the dictionary.
enervate, efficacious, basilisk, minotaur, elfin, elephantine, schadenfreude, enigma, emasculate, acidic, appalling, ridiculous and 102 more...
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tree's Words
aphasia, anhedonia, promontory, misandry, amanuensis, asymptote, penultimate, muslin, tundra, calico, kinaesthesia, rutabaga and 209 more...
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There's a word for that?
temerity, tacit, froward, faineant, caterwaul, menagerie, ennui, sine qua non, lissom, multifarious, laconic, katzenjammer and 240 more...
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summer words 2009
how many words can I make mine this summer?
largess, hoyden, catholic, fornicatress, quean, slattern, bildungsroman, sybaritic, descresent, nodus, frittle, callipygian and 529 more...
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word list!!!!
lagniappe
syzygy, bloviate, lagniappe, laconic, condign, umbrage, susurrus, thaumaturgy, capacious, capitulate, glower, repast and 179 more...
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Words that were new to me
but now they're not because I looked them up. In cases of polysemy or homography, *of course* it was the oddest meaning that stumped me. ;)
Procrustean bed, idem sonans, hob, backcap, quango, cheap-jack, pantechnicon, churrigueresco, chopfallen, maritorious, supererogation, catimini and 212 more...
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Awesome Words, Part 1: Less Common
These are words that I have learnt over the years and want to remember
epithalamium, hustings, verger, atheling, moue, pendulous, pendragon, funicular, pericope, fettle, eleemosynary, moot and 160 more...
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newGRE
mostly from magoosh
imbue, verge on, nonchalant, deliberate, timorous, futile, provisional, dissect, checked, tinged, alluring, visionary and 1046 more...
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List Erine
cool mint antiseptic
shalom, cattywampus, bourgeoisie, aerophile, traverse, grotto, epicurean, ex cathedra, nautilus, epitaph, lathe, continuum and 753 more...
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Time for a new list!
abrupt, erupt, rupture, sync, appropinquity, heterochromia, homochromatic, monochromatic, willy nilly, nitty gritty, kowtow, wonton and 455 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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GRE vocab
martinet, churlish, polyglot, aplomb, dissembler, histrionics, prevarication, ignominy, impugn, fastidious, trenchant, perfunctory and 155 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for irenic.
knitandpurl "Today, I blame myself for my irenicism: I should never have allowed the issue of Les Temps modernes on the Arab–Israeli conflict to open with Rodinson's article, 'Israel, a Colonial Reality?', for I do not believe that this is, or has ever been, the case: in my films and in my writings, I have striven tirelessly to reveal the complex reality of Israel."
The Patagonian Hare by Claude Lanzmann, translated by Frank Wynne, p 399-400 of the Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover edition Apr 18, 2013
seanahan Sometimes I think Reesetee uses ironic just to annoy me.
Anyway, irenic is from Greek, and ire is from Latin, so the two words have no connection in meaning.
Whenever I see this word can't help but think of the Rambaldi message relate to it. Aug 21, 2008
bilby Much beloved of Irene the Peeved Peacenik. Aug 20, 2008
reesetee Ironic, isn't it? ;-) Aug 19, 2008
super-logos With the word, ire, in it, I would think it might mean conducive towards war or strife. Aug 19, 2008
slumry conciliatory Jul 24, 2007
seanahan This is a good word, I'll have to work this into conversation to confuse people. Jul 8, 2007
plumpesdenken Kearney's critical temperament is non-combative, indeed resolutely irenic, seeking and finding felicities. Jul 7, 2007