irony
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈaɪə.ɹən.i/
  • (America) IPA: /ˈaɪ.ɹə.ni/, /ˈaɪ.ɚ.ni/
Noun

irony

  1. (rhetoric) A statement that, when taken in context, may actually mean something different from, or the opposite of, what is written literally; the use of words expressing something other than their literal intention, often in a humorous context.
    • [1835, L[arret] Langley, A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster: Printed by C. White, Baxter-Gate, OCLC 1062248511 ↗, page 11 ↗:
      Irony, saying what it ne'er intends,
      Censures with praise, and speaks to foes as friends.]
  2. Dramatic irony: a theatrical effect in which the meaning of a situation, or some incongruity in the plot, is understood by the audience, but not by the characters in the play.
  3. Ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist; Socratic irony.
  4. The state of two usually unrelated entities, parties, actions, etc. being related through a common connection in an uncommon way.
  5. (informal) Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected. [from the 1640s]
Related terms Translations Translations Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈaɪə.ni/
  • (America) IPA: /ˈaɪ.ɚ.ni/
Adjective

irony

  1. Of or pertaining to the metal iron.
    The food had an irony taste to it.
Synonyms Translations


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