dramatic irony

noun

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Definition of dramatic irony

literature

: irony 3b

Recent Examples of dramatic irony from the Web

Moreover, Morissette was singing about the same feeling that the such classics of dramatic irony as Oedipus Rex were meant to evoke: the idea of life as a grand joke, and a sense of grim amusement at helplessness against fate.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Donald Trump’s Mysterious Sense of Irony," 7 June 2018
In a delicious bit of dramatic irony, Han ignores Lando’s suggestion in the Maelstrom to drop the Coaxium at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser. 10.

— dan gvozden, The Hollywood Reporter, "74 'Star Wars' Questions 'Solo' Insisted on Answering," 1 June 2018
This scene is tinged with an aura of dread and dramatic irony.

— refinery29.com, "This 13 Reasons Why Song Is As Haunting As Hannah’s Ghost," 30 May 2018
The device makes for the most delicious dramatic irony, the darkest depictions of how misery usually follows happiness, the disappointments that hollow out the expectations of youth.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "'Three Tall Women' on Broadway: In a masterful Albee production starring Laurie Metcalf, this trio could be you," 30 Mar. 2018
For an adult, there’s something like dramatic irony inherent in watching a hero of this age: The idealized twelve-year-old boy sees the world in terms of good and evil.

— christian lorentzen, The New Republic, "The earnest, ironic stylings of Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs”," 21 Mar. 2018
Plus, all sorts of things go on the audience will never know, lending dramatic irony to what’s actually heard.

— john timpane, Philly.com, "Hedgerow's 'Boogie Woogie Radio Hour': Look back to 1940s radio," 13 Jan. 2018
And little is made of the dramatic irony (another spoiler!) that a repetition of the act that exiled her to Pakistan is the one that brings her back home to Norway.

— boyd van hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter, "'What Will People Say' ('Hva vil folk si'): Film Review," 25 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dramatic irony.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.