Originally Posted by Frownland

irony
noun iro·ny \ ˈī-rə-nē also ˈī(-ə)r-nē \
Popularity: Top 1% of lookups |Updated on: 15 May 2018
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Examples: irony in a Sentence
Editor's Note: What's irony?











plural ironies
1 : a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other's false conceptions conspicuous by adroit questioning — called also Socratic irony
2 a : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning
b : a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony
c : an ironic expression or utterance
3 a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2) : an event or result marked by such incongruity
b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play — called also dramatic irony, tragic irony
See irony defined for English-language learners

See irony defined for kids


Examples of irony in a Sentence
The great irony of human intelligence is that the only species on Earth capable of reason, complex-problem solving, long-term planning and consciousness understands so little about the organ that makes it all possible—the brain. —Amanda Bower, Time, 20 Aug. 2001
The great irony of anthracite is that, tough as it is to light, once you get it lit it's nearly impossible to put out. —Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods, 1999
And the irony is obvious: those who once had been the victims of separatism, who had sacrificed so dearly to overcome their being at the margins, would later create an ethos of their own separatism. —Shelby Steele, Harper's, July 1992
a writer known for her clever use of irony

“What a beautiful view,” he said, his voice dripping with irony, as he looked out the window at the alley.

She described her vacation with heavy irony as “an educational experience.”

It was a tragic irony that he made himself sick by worrying so much about his health.

That's just one of life's little ironies.

The irony of the situation was apparent to everyone.

He has a strong sense of irony.


Recent Examples of irony from the Web
No small irony that Mill is choosing to become the social justice leader that Kanye pretended to be.
—
Phillip Morris, cleveland.com, "Kanye West has a thing or two to learn about American slavery: Phillip Morris," 9 May 2018
Oh, and Mona, who seemed less cow than concept, really, half animal, half irony, sticking her rubbable muzzle through the fence like a Labrador.
—
Christian Wiman, The New Yorker, "Eating Grapes Downward," 7 May 2018
And this being a Lee film, the irony of Jake being black in these conditions is double-underlined and in bold print.
—
K. Austin Collins, HWD, "20 Years After Its Release, Spike Lee’s Basketball Epic He Got Game Remains Searing and Essential," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'irony.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

What's irony?
Considerable thought is given to what events constitute “true” irony, and the dictionary is often called upon to supply an answer. Here are the facts about how the word irony is used.

Irony has two formal uses that are not as common in general prose as its more casual uses. One refers to Socratic irony—a method of revealing an opponent’s ignorance by pretending to be ignorant yourself and asking probing questions. The other refers to dramatic irony or tragic irony—an incongruity between the situation in a drama and the words used by the characters that only the audience can see. Socratic irony is a tool used in debating; dramatic irony is what happens when the audience realizes that Romeo and Juliet’s plans will go awry.

The third, and debated, use of irony regards what’s called situational irony. Situational irony involves a striking reversal of what is expected or intended: a person sidesteps a pothole to avoid injury and in doing so steps into another pothole and injures themselves. Critics claim the word irony and ironic as they are generally used (as in, “Isn’t it ironic that you called just as I was planning to call you?”) can only apply to situational irony, and uses like the one above are more properly called coincidence.

The historical record shows that irony and ironic have been used imprecisely for almost 100 years at least, and often to refer to coincidence. This 1939 quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald is typical: "It is an ironic thought that the last picture job I took—against my better judgment—yielded me five thousand dollars five hundred and cost over four thousand in medical attention." Is this true situational irony? It’s debatable.

The word irony has come to be applied to events that are merely curious or coincidental, and while some feel this is an incorrect use of the word, it is merely a new one.

Origin and Etymology of irony
Latin ironia, from Greek eirōnia, from eirōn dissembler
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 1502

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of irony
wit, humor, irony, sarcasm, satire, repartee mean a mode of expression intended to arouse amusement. wit suggests the power to evoke laughter by remarks showing verbal felicity or ingenuity and swift perception especially of the incongruous. ⟨a playful wit⟩ humor implies an ability to perceive the ludicrous, the comical, and the absurd in human life and to express these usually without bitterness. ⟨a sense of humor⟩ irony applies to a manner of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is seemingly expressed. ⟨the irony of the title⟩ sarcasm applies to expression frequently in the form of irony that is intended to cut or wound. ⟨given to heartless sarcasm⟩ satire applies to writing that exposes or ridicules conduct, doctrines, or institutions either by direct criticism or more often through irony, parody, or caricature. ⟨a satire on the Congress⟩ repartee implies the power of answering quickly, pointedly, or wittily. ⟨a dinner guest noted for repartee⟩
Other Literature Terms
apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody


IRONY Defined for English Language Learners
irony
noun
: the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really think especially in order to be funny
: a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of what you expected
IRONY Defined for Kids
irony
noun iro·ny \ ˈī-rə-nē \
plural ironies
1 : the use of words that mean the opposite of what is really meant
2 : a result opposite to what was expected
Learn More about irony
Spanish Central: Translation of irony
Nglish: Translation of irony for Spanish speakers
Britannica English: Translation of irony for Arabic speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about irony

Seen and Heard
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Originally Posted by Exo

Hope it actually turns up like that.

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

Anyhoo, this is what I sent my wife of 35 years.

Originally Posted by mord

Actually, I like you a lot, Nea. That's why I treat you like ****. It's the MB way.

Originally Posted by Neapolitan

I have two questions:

1. How did you get the party hat to stay on the dog?
2. How did you keep the dog from jumping out of the basket?

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

[youtube]NUmCWGPgU7g[/url]

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

[youtube]=LtYg1xz1A00[/youbube]

Originally Posted by Mindfulness

2. What was the strangest/best/worst party you ever went to?
Prolly a party I had with some people I know