verbal irony

[ vur-buhl ahy-ruh-nee, ahy er- ]

/ ˈvɜr bəl ˈaɪ rə ni, ˈaɪ ər- /

Save This Word!

noun

irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Words nearby verbal irony

It may be fun and it may get them paid, until oversaturation ruins our sense for irony and destroys the market for it.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
These were cops who had worked the protests and suffered the accompanying verbal taunts and abuse.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The irony did not escape one local, Laith Hathim, as he stood and watched the newly minted refugees make their way into Mosul.
Has the Kurdish Victory at Sinjar Turned the Tide of ISIS War?|Niqash|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The irony has thinned with the economy, perhaps: Who can really afford just to pretend to DIY today?
Glenn Beck Is Now Selling Hipster Clothes. Really.|Ana Marie Cox|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And then there was the unrelenting verbal abuse of cops simply because they are cops.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop|Michael Daly|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This unreasoning, feminine obstinacy so wrought upon him that he permitted himself a smile and a lapse into irony and banter.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
These are few and verbal, but momentous, and were not made without consultation of many critical authorities and versions.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
A verbal narrative has of course in itself nothing similar to the scenes and events of which it tells.
Children's Ways|James Sully
These brilliant results were arrived at after much clamour and argument and imposing procès verbal.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
I resolved to investigate the matter, as it was only verbal, so that it might not become public.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various