Word Finder - irony

definition

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.

definition

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.

definition

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

definition

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

definition

Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected.

I failed to detect any irony in his tone.

He loved the irony of the situation.

In an irony of war, they were shelled by their own artillery.

I appreciated the irony of his response when he said, "Lucky us," when he learned we would have to work all weekend.

I've never been able to fully understand irony.

Then, with plenty of time on my hands, I began to realize the irony of that whole experience.

Getting his car stolen from the police department parking lot was the final irony of his day.

He was an able, terse, forcible speaker, master of bitter sarcasm, irony, stinging ridicule, and, less often used, good-humoured wit.

The irony of having a werewolf in the house didn't escape Jackson.

It is true that, as a matter of fact, the earliest uses of the word (the verb /xXoa04Eiv occurs in Herodotus and Thucydides) imply the idea of the pursuit of knowledge; but the distinction between the aogios, or wise man, and the 4nXoaoa50s, or lover of wisdom, appears first in the Platonic writings, and lends itself naturally to the so-called Socratic irony.

It was due entirely to his steadfast adherence to these principles that Poland in the course of the 15th century rose to the rank of a great power; but by a singular irony of fate, Casimir, in consequence of his unswerving efforts to make his country glorious and prosperous, entirely forfeited the popularity of his Polish subjects, whose true interests he understood far better than they did themselves.

The tragic irony was lost on nobody involved with the production.

Travellers' tales were deliberately embalmed by Swift in the amber of his irony.

In an irony almost too mind-boggling to enjoy, is it possible that the Guardian just helped George Bush get re-elected?

Merck (1741-1791), an army official in the neighbouring town of Darmstadt, he found a friend and mentor, whose irony and common-sense served as a corrective to his own exuberance of spirits.

He " had woven," according to an often quoted phrase of Goethe, " a certain sly element of irony into his method;.

A similar criticism, conducted less on lines of erudition than of persiflage and irony, ransacked the moral abuses of the church and played around the very foundations of Christianity.

A subtle irony pervades the Rimas of Joao Penha, who links the Coimbrans with Guerra Junqueiro and the younger poets.

His pen was exerted to better purpose in the most consummate example of his irony, the Argument to prove that the abolishing of Christianity in England may, as things now stand, be attended with some inconveniencies (1708).

As a master of humour, irony and invective he has no superior; his reasoning powers are no less remarkable within their range, but he never gets beyond the range of an advocate.

The fact seems to be that the form in which Corneille's work was cast, and which by an odd irony of fate he did so much to originate and make popular, was very partially suited to his talents.

For this he was violently attacked in the German parliament by the extreme Radicals; but on this and other occasions (he had himself been elected to the parliament) he defended moderate and constitutional principles, all the more effectively because he depended not on eloquence but on a recognition of what has been called the "irony of facts"- to which the parliament as a whole was so blind.

Herault's account is marked by a delicate irony, and it has with some justice been called a masterpiece of interviewing, before the day of journalists.

While Officer Dibble of course was not a cat, wouldn't there be a great sense of irony in giving a little cat this name.

The irony about Victorian furniture is that despite the modern revolution in production techniques, in terms of styles, people looked almost exclusively to the past for inspiration.

The irony is that the Internet is bringing these old works back to life as people download some of the world's oldest books onto some of the world's newest technological devices.

Irony and satire are big among college students.

The mothers and grandmothers of today's baby boomers were careful never to be seen with a hair out of place, but the irony of this much fuss is that hair that is too perfect can be very aging.

A Street Fighter game was released featuring digitized characters from the movie, creating the irony of a "video game based on a movie that was based on a video game".

Or, go for irony by dressing your pet as an upstanding citizen.

How's that for irony?

He also pointedly alludes to John's work and the people's relation to it, in many sayings and parables (sometimes in a tone of irony).

His Pseudkynegetikos is an unsurpassed model of elegant writing and of fine irony.

He loved the irony of it all.

He glanced at Jessi's peaceful face, able to appreciate the irony of her situation.

Is it supposed to be post-modern irony or something?

The dialog is flat and there is very little dramatic irony which so enlivened the earlier films.

It can be played successfully for knockabout farce, sweet sentimentality or dark irony.

I prefer the fight scenes in Big Trouble in Little China, a bit more irony to the fight scenes in Big Trouble in Little China, a bit more irony to the fight scenes.

She also wears a crop top bearing the Beatles logo, proving her stylist, at least, appreciates irony.

The irony is that the only material builders use is memory - the allocated computer memory of the MUD.

The first example of polite controversial irony since Lucian, the Provinciales have continued to be the best example of it during more than two centuries in which the style has been sedulously practised, and in which they have furnished a model to generation after generation.

At the same time the irony always perceptible in his work grows more bitter.

The extreme use of parody and irony reminds the listener of Mahler and the sounds can be quite striking and modern.

Retro irony works only if you are selling something new, not trying to revive what simply dated.

Imaginative staging and a strong sense of irony mean that The Ignatius Trail is as fun for adults as is for children.

As International Company Services observes without a trace of irony, this can be extremely useful where extreme speed is required.

It would be a huge irony if they suffered still more from well-meaning efforts to impose it from outside.

He is in fact conspicuously lacking in irony; one could not meet a less jaded or world-weary man.

Cultural icons such as A-list celebrities, United States Presidents and pop-singers also lack the irony and originality necessary for an outstandingly unique name.