irony

iro·ny

noun \ˈī-rə-nē also ˈī(-ə)r-nē\

plural iro·nies

Definition of IRONY

1

: a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other's false conceptions conspicuous by adroit questioning —called also Socratic irony

2

a : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b : a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony c : an ironic expression or utterance

3

a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2) : an event or result marked by such incongruity b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play —called also dramatic irony, tragic irony

Examples of IRONY

1. a writer known for her clever use of irony
2. “What a beautiful view,” he said, his voice dripping with irony, as he looked out the window at the alley.
3. She described her vacation with heavy irony as “an educational experience.”
4. It was a tragic irony that he made himself sick by worrying so much about his health.
5. That's just one of life's little ironies.
6. The irony of the situation was apparent to everyone.
7. He has a strong sense of irony.
8. The great irony of human intelligence is that the only species on Earth capable of reason, complex-problem solving, long-term planning and consciousness understands so little about the organ that makes it all possible—the brain. —Amanda Bower, Time, 20 Aug. 2001
9. The great irony of anthracite is that, tough as it is to light, once you get it lit it's nearly impossible to put out. —Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods, 1999
10. And the irony is obvious: those who once had been the victims of separatism, who had sacrificed so dearly to overcome their being at the margins, would later create an ethos of their own separatism. —Shelby Steele, Harper's, July 1992

Origin of IRONY

Latin ironia, from Greek eirōnia, from eirōn dissembler

First Known Use: 1502

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody