irony
/'aiəni/
Definition
- Noun:
- A literary or rhetorical device: A situation in which there is a striking or significant contrast or incongruity between what is expected or intended and what actually occurs or is expressed.
- A state of affairs or an event: That seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing or perplexing as a result.
- A form of humor or wit: Characterized by the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of their literal meaning, often to express mockery, scorn, or criticism.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Situational Incongruity):
- The irony of the situation was that the fire station burned down.
- He was a traffic cop who never got a driver's license—a beautiful irony.
- Noun (Verbal Expression):
- "What a beautiful day," she said with irony as the rain poured down.
- His voice was heavy with irony when he praised the disastrous plan.
Advanced Usage
- Dramatic Irony: A literary technique where the audience understands the full significance of a character's words or actions, but the character does not.
- In the play, the audience knows the villain is hiding behind the curtain, creating dramatic irony as the hero walks into the room.
- Socratic Irony: A rhetorical method where a person feigns ignorance (pretends not to know) to expose the weaknesses in someone else's argument.
- The philosopher's use of Socratic irony led his students to discover the flaws in their own reasoning.
Variants and Related Words
- Ironic (adj): Characterized by or constituting irony.
- It was ironic that the cautious man was the one who had the accident.
- Ironical (adj): Another form of 'ironic'.
- Ironist (n): A person who uses irony, especially a writer.
Synonyms
- Incongruity: A state of not being in harmony or agreement.
- Sarcasm: The use of irony to mock or convey contempt (note: sarcasm is often more direct and harsh than irony).
- Paradox: A seemingly self-contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.
Related Phrases
- The irony of fate: A phrase describing a particularly poignant or cruel twist of fate.
- By the irony of fate, the two former enemies met again as neighbors.
Related Idioms
- Lost in irony: Not understood or appreciated as irony.
- His subtle joke was lost in irony on the audience.
- Rich in irony: Full of or characterized by ironic events or aspects.
- The history of that institution is rich in irony.
Noun
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a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs
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incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
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the irony of Ireland's copying the nation she most hated
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witty language used to convey insults or scorn
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he used sarcasm to upset his opponent
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irony is wasted on the stupid
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Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own--Jonathan Swift
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