ironic
adjective
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What's irony?
Considerable thought is given to what events constitute “true” irony, and the dictionary is often called upon to supply an answer. Here are the facts about how the word irony is used.
Irony has two formal uses that are not as common in general prose as its more casual uses. One refers to Socratic irony—a method of revealing an opponent’s ignorance by pretending to be ignorant yourself and asking probing questions. The other refers to dramatic irony or tragic irony—an incongruity between the situation in a drama and the words used by the characters that only the audience can see. Socratic irony is a tool used in debating; dramatic irony is what happens when the audience realizes that Romeo and Juliet’s plans will go awry.
The third, and debated, use of irony regards what’s called situational irony. Situational irony involves a striking reversal of what is expected or intended: a person sidesteps a pothole to avoid injury and in doing so steps into another pothole and injures themselves. Critics claim the words irony and ironic as they are used in cases lacking a striking reversal, such as “Isn’t it ironic that you called just as I was planning to call you?,” are more properly called coincidence.
The historical record shows that irony and ironic have been used imprecisely for almost 100 years at least, and often to refer to coincidence. This 1939 quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald is typical: "It is an ironic thought that the last picture job I took—against my better judgment—yielded me five thousand dollars five hundred and cost over four thousand in medical attention." Is this true situational irony? It’s debatable.
The word irony has come to be applied to events that are merely curious or coincidental, and while some feel this is an incorrect use of the word, it is merely a new one.
Examples of ironic in a Sentence
Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 16 June 2026
The same can be said for the One Wish Willow, whose regular availability in a holistic gift shop belies sinister developments until the customer is slowly dying from the ironic fallout of their heart’s deepest desire.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
The Next Frontier That the private market revolution is being led by a company focused on cosmic exploration is ironic, considering how few investors were believers when the field was getting started two decades ago.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
Nowhere have such spats been more ironic than in Vance’s rebuke of the pope.
—Matthew Smith, The Conversation, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ironic
Cite this Entry
“Ironic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ironic. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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ironic
adjective
