irony

¹ American  

[ahy-ruh-nee, ahy-er-] / ˈaɪ rə ni, ˈaɪ ər- /

noun

• ironies
  plural

1. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.

   the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend.

2. Literature.

   1. a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.

   2. (especially in contemporary writing) a manner of organizing a work so as to give full expression to contradictory or complementary impulses, attitudes, etc., especially as a means of indicating detachment from a subject, theme, or emotion.

3. Socratic irony.

4. dramatic irony.

5. an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.

6. the incongruity of this.

7. an objectively sardonic style of speech or writing.

8. an objectively or humorously sardonic utterance, disposition, quality, etc.

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irony ² American  

[ahy-er-nee] / ˈaɪ ər ni /

adjective

1. consisting of, containing, or resembling the metal iron.

   an irony color.

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irony ¹ British  

/ ˈaɪənɪ /

adjective

1. of, resembling, or containing iron

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irony ² British  

/ ˈaɪrənɪ /

noun

1. the humorous or mildly sarcastic use of words to imply the opposite of what they normally mean

2. an instance of this, used to draw attention to some incongruity or irrationality

3. incongruity between what is expected to be and what actually is, or a situation or result showing such incongruity

4. See dramatic irony

5. philosophy See Socratic irony

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irony Cultural  

1. The use of words to mean something very different from what they appear on the surface to mean. Jonathan Swift uses irony in “A Modest Proposal” when he suggests the eating of babies as a solution to overpopulation and starvation in Ireland.

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Synonym Usage

Irony, sarcasm, satire indicate mockery of something or someone. The essential feature of irony is the indirect presentation of a contradiction between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs. In the figure of speech, emphasis is placed on the opposition between the literal and intended meaning of a statement; one thing is said and its opposite implied, as in the comment, “Beautiful weather, isn't it?” made when it is raining or nasty. Ironic literature exploits, in addition to the rhetorical figure, such devices as character development, situation, and plot to stress the paradoxical nature of reality or the contrast between an ideal and actual condition, set of circumstances, etc., frequently in such a way as to stress the absurdity present in the contradiction between substance and form. Irony differs from sarcasm in greater subtlety and wit. In sarcasm ridicule or mockery is used harshly, often crudely and contemptuously, for destructive purposes. It may be used in an indirect manner, and have the form of irony, as in “What a fine musician you turned out to be!” or it may be used in the form of a direct statement, “You couldn't play one piece correctly if you had two assistants.” The distinctive quality of sarcasm is present in the spoken word and manifested chiefly by vocal inflection, whereas satire and irony, arising originally as literary and rhetorical forms, are exhibited in the organization or structuring of either language or literary material. Satire usually implies the use of irony or sarcasm for censorious or critical purposes and is often directed at public figures or institutions, conventional behavior, political situations, etc.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ironies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of irony¹

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Latin īrōnīa, from Greek eirōneía “dissimulation, sarcasm, understatement,” equivalent to eírōn “a dissembler” + -eia -y ³

Origin of irony²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ireni; iron + -y ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Reserve irony for situations where there's a gap between reality and expectations, especially when such a gap is created for dramatic or humorous effect. In Greek, eiron meant "a dissembler" — someone who hides their true intentions. Today, we do something very similar when we employ irony, often by saying the opposite of what we really mean. The word can also refer to a situation that turns out to be amusingly different from what we expected: "I thought he had stolen the Fig Newtons, but the irony was that he thought the same thing of me." Note that this is more than just an improbable coincidence!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

irony ironies

Whatever happens to her claim for custody—or to the child she bore—her story is worth following because of its central irony.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

If Kyrgios does end up with a similar sanction, the irony is unlikely to be lost on Jannik Sinner or Iga Swiatek, who recently served bans in high-profile doping cases.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

“It’s this crazy balance of irony that we have to exist in,” Lynn said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

In a stroke of irony, Google’s deep-learning division, Google Brain, had deployed chatbots internally since 2020.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

“I think we might make it,” he said, with that complete simplicity I had so long taken for irony.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Writing in The Times, Beard bemoaned that the poem's "erotic puzzles, the teasing ironies, the intriguing questions about truth and falsehood" had been replaced with "a rather ponderous Hollywood message about civilisational decline".

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Juneteenth, though, is awash in ironies, both naturally occurring and of our own making.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

“Seems to me like a total own-goal,” says Ms. Worsley, once again boiling the past down to its essence, without belaboring the ironies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

Among the ironies: He got nothing of value on the cellphone that so enraged the sheriff, and prosecutors never called him to testify at trial, knowing the defense was likely to eviscerate him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2025

Brinker’s expansive, dazed tone suggested that here was one of life’s giant ironies, “There you are!”

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Related Words

• humor
• paradox
• satire
• twist
• wit