Meaning of irony | Babel Free

Definitions

1. 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.
   countable, rhetoric, uncountable
2. A kind of metallic marble.
   childish, dated
3. 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. An ironic statement
4. An ironic statement.
   countable, rhetoric
5. An ironic statement
6. 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.
   countable, uncountable
7. 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
8. Socratic irony: ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist.
   countable, uncountable
9. Socratic irony: ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist
10. Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected.
    countable, informal, uncountable
11. Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}

Equivalents

Examples

“Irony, saying what it ne'er intends, Censures with praise⟳, and speaks to foes as friends.”

“A principal virtue of Rorty's recognition of both the lightminded and the serious side of irony is to urge⟳ us in that direction.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

CEFR level