irony

Meaning

Noun

1. The quality of 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.
2. The quality of 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.
3. 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.
4. Socratic irony: ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist.
5. (informal) Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected.

Adj

Of or pertaining to the metal iron.

Synonyms

sarcasm

satire

ridicule

insinuation

rhetorical question

caustic remark

mockery

innuendo

oh

ridiculousness

wit

word in reverse

Socratic irony

antonym

false praise

cynicism

humor

iron

ironic

joke

🤣

lampoon

laughableness

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈaɪə.ɹən.i/

Etymology

First attested in 1502. From Middle French ironie, from Old French, from Latin īrōnīa, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία (eirōneía, “irony, pretext”), from εἴρων (eírōn, “one who feigns ignorance”).