irony
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
First attested in 1502. From Middle French ironie, from Old French, from Latin īrōnīa, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία (eirōneia, “irony, pretext”), from εἴρων (eirōn, “one who feigns ignorance”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈaɪə.rən.i/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈaɪ.rə.ni/, /ˈaɪ.ɚ.ni/
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Audio (US) (file) -
Audio (US) (file)
Noun[edit]
irony (countable and uncountable, plural ironies)
- 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.
- (informal, sometimes proscribed)[1][2] Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected. [from the 1640s]
Usage notes[edit]
- Some authorities omit the last sense, "contradiction of circumstances and expectations, condition contrary to what might be expected"[2], however it has been in common use since the 1600s.[3]
Derived terms[edit]
terms derived from irony
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally
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condition contrary to expectations
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
References[edit]
- ^ Harris, Bob, "Isn’t It Ironic? Probably Not", 2008-06-30. Retrieved on 2011-01-06.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 ironic, TheFreeDictionary.com, accessed 4 November 2011: The words ironic, irony, and ironically are sometimes used of events and circumstances that might better be described as simply "coincidental" or "improbable," in that they suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly. Thus 78 percent of the Usage Panel rejects the use of ironically in the sentence In 1969 Susie moved from Ithaca to California where she met her husband-to-be, who, ironically, also came from upstate New York. Some Panelists noted that this particular usage might be acceptable if Susie had in fact moved to California in order to find a husband, in which case the story could be taken as exemplifying the folly of supposing that we can know what fate has in store for us. By contrast, 73 percent accepted the sentence Ironically, even as the government was fulminating against American policy, American jeans and videocassettes were the hottest items in the stalls of the market, where the incongruity can be seen as an example of human inconsistency.
- ^ irony, Online Etymology Dictionary
Etymology 2[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
irony (comparative more irony, superlative most irony)
Synonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
of or pertaining to iron
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Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms with audio links
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English informal terms
- English disputed terms
- English words suffixed with -y
- English adjectives
- English heteronyms
- en:Rhetoric
