irony

Noun (1)

irony (countable and uncountable, plural ironies)

1. (rhetoric) 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.
   • Irony, saying what it ne'er intends,
     Censures with praise, and speaks to foes as friends.1835, L[arret] Langley, “[The Seven Tropes.] Irony.”, in A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster, South Yorkshire: […] C. White, […], →OCLC, page 11
   • A principal virtue of Rorty's recognition of both the lightminded and the serious side of irony is to urge us in that direction.1994, David L. Hall, Richard Rorty: Prophet and Poet of the New Pragmatism, →ISBN, page 146
   1. (countable, rhetoric) An ironic statement.
      • It is one of the ironies of capital cities that each acts as a symbol of its nation, and yet few are even remotely representative of it. London has always set itself apart from the rest of Britain — but political, economic and social trends are conspiring to drive that wedge deeper.2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, “London Is Special, but Not That Special”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 10 Oct 2021, retrieved 28 Sep 2013
      • The second irony is that the only American who intuitively or otherwise grasps this reality and possesses a large enough ego potentially capable of governing in these circumstances is the president.2025 September 8, Harlan Ullman, “Will America survive another 250 years?”, in The Hill
2. 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.
3. Socratic irony: ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist.
4. (informal) Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected.

Adjective

UK/ˈaɪə.ni/US/ˈaɪ.ɚ.ni/

irony (comparative more irony, superlative most irony)

1. Of or pertaining to the metal iron.
   • The food had an irony taste to it.
   • The scrap yard had bins marked for irony aluminum, such as aluminum engine blocks not wholly cleaned of bolts, studs, brackets, and so on.

   Synonyms:

   ferric, ferrous

Noun (2)

UK/ˈaɪə.ni/US/ˈaɪ.ɚ.ni/

irony (plural ironies)

1. (childish, dated) A kind of metallic marble.
   • And before the season's over millions of "glassies" and "aggies" or "ironies" will change hands, and thousands more will manage to get themselves lost.1968, Boys' Life, volume 58, number 5, page 10