irony

/'aiəni/

Thân thiện

A student learns about irony in a literature class.

Definition

1. 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.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs
2. incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
   • the irony of Ireland's copying the nation she most hated
3. witty language used to convey insults or scorn
   • he used sarcasm to upset his opponent
   • irony is wasted on the stupid
   • Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own--Jonathan Swift

Từ đồng nghĩa

• sarcasm
• satire
• caustic remark