irony

i-ro-ny · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    The use of words to express something different from or opposite to their literal meaning.

  2. 2.

    A state of affairs or an event that seems contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.

  3. 3.

    (Literary) A literary technique in which the audience knows something that the characters do not.

Forms

plural: ironies

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    dramatic irony — when the audience knows more than the characters
  • •
    situational irony — when events turn out opposite to expectations
  • •
    verbal irony — saying the opposite of what is meant
  • •
    the irony is — used to point out a paradoxical situation

Related words

Antonyms: sincerity
See also: ironic, ironically, sarcasm, satire
Synonyms: paradox, sarcasm, satire

Etymology

From Latin ironia, from Greek eirōneia ("feigned ignorance"), from eirōn ("dissembler"). Originally referred to a rhetorical device in Greek drama.