IRONY

irony

(noun) incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs; “the irony of Ireland’s copying the nation she most hated”

sarcasm, irony, satire, caustic remark

(noun) witty language used to convey insults or scorn; “he used sarcasm to upset his opponent”; “irony is wasted on the stupid”; “Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own”--Jonathan Swift

irony

(noun) a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Noun

irony (countable and uncountable, plural ironies)

(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.

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.

Ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist; Socratic irony.

The state of two usually unrelated entities, parties, actions, etc. being related through a common connection in an uncommon way.

(informal) Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected. [from the 1640s]

Usage notes

• Some authorities omit the last sense, "contradiction of circumstances and expectations, condition contrary to what might be expected"; however, it has been in common use since the 1600s.

Etymology 2

Adjective

irony (comparative more irony, superlative most irony)

Of or pertaining to the metal iron.

Synonyms

• ferric

• ferrous

Source: Wiktionary

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I"ron*y, a. Etym: [From Iron.]

1. Made or consisting of iron; partaking of iron; iron; as, irony chains; irony particles. [R.] Woodward.

2. Resembling iron taste, hardness, or other physical property.

I"ron*y, n.Etym: [L. ironia, Gr. word: cf. F. ironie.]

1. Dissimulation; ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist.

2. A sort of humor, ridicule, or light sarcasm, which adopts a mode of speech the meaning of which is contrary to the literal sense of the words.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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