irony
- irony
i|ron|y [ˈaıərəni US ˈaırə-] n plural ironies
[Date: 1500-1600; : Latin; Origin: ironia, from Greek eironeia, from eiron 'person who lies']
1.) [U and C]
a situation that is unusual or amusing because something strange happens, or the opposite of what is expected happens or is true
▪ Life is full of little ironies.
tragic/cruel/bitter etc irony
▪ The tragic irony is that the drug was supposed to save lives.
2.) [U]
when you use words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing
trace/hint/touch of irony
▪ Wagner calls his program 'the worst talk show in America,' without a hint of irony.
heavy irony
BrE (=a lot of irony)
▪ 'Of course Michael won't be late; you know how punctual he always is,' she said with heavy irony.
Dictionary of contemporary English.
2013.
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Look at other dictionaries:
irony — In the ordinary use of language irony means primarily ‘an expression of meaning by use of words that have an opposite literal meaning or tendency’. When we look out of the window at the pouring rain and exclaim ‘What a lovely day!’, we are using… … Modern English usage
irony — irony1 [ī′rə nē, ī′ər nē] n. pl. ironies [Fr ironie < L ironia < Gr eirōneia < eirōn, dissembler in speech < eirein, to speak < IE base * wer , to speak > WORD] 1. a) a method of humorous or subtly sarcastic expression in which… … English World dictionary
Irony — I ron*y, a. [From {Iron}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Made or consisting of iron; partaking of iron; iron; as, irony chains; irony particles; In this sense {iron} is the more common term. [R.] Woodward. [1913 Webster +PJC] 2. Resembling iron in taste,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Irony — I ron*y, n. [L. ironia, Gr. ? dissimulation, fr. ? a dissembler in speech, fr. ? to speak; perh. akin to E. word: cf. F. ironie.] [1913 Webster] 1. Dissimulation; ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Irony — est un album du rappeur français Iron Sy Liste des titres Président ! Du Berceau Au Tombeau Sale Pote (Feat. Douma) Pas Dans Ton Magazine J suis pas chez moi T Co Q Instincts Criminels J Taf Pas, J Dors Pas C Quoi L Diez (Feat. Boulaye) Ma… … Wikipédia en Français
irony — noun cynicism, dissimulatio, ironia, mockery, sarcasm, satire Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
irony — *wit, satire, sarcasm, humor, repartee … New Dictionary of Synonyms
irony — [n] sarcasm banter, burlesque, contempt, contrariness, criticism, derision, humor, incongruity, jibe, mockery, mordancy, paradox, quip, raillery, repartee, reproach, ridicule, sardonicism, satire, taunt, twist, wit; concepts 230,278 Ant.… … New thesaurus
irony — ► NOUN (pl. ironies) 1) the expression of meaning through the use of language which normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous effect. 2) a state of affairs that appears perversely contrary to what one expects. ORIGIN Greek eir neia… … English terms dictionary
Irony — Ironic redirects here. For the song, see Ironic (song). For other uses, see irony (disambiguation). A Stop sign ironically defaced with a beseechment not to deface stop signs Irony (from the Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία eirōneía, meaning dissimulation… … Wikipedia
irony — irony1 /uy reuh nee, uy euhr /, n., pl. ironies. 1. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, How nice! when I said I had to work all weekend. 2. Literature. a. a technique of… … Universalium
