What is the meaning of irony?

noun

  • Witty language used to convey insults or scorn."he used sarcasm to upset his opponent"; "irony is wasted on the stupid"; "Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own-Jonathan Swift
  • Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.
    • usage: "the irony of Ireland's copying the nation she most hated"
  • A trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs. .
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
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APAWordNet. (2010). irony. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/irony/definitions/1210216
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "irony" http://smartdefine.org/irony/definitions/1210216 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, irony, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/irony/definitions/1210216>.
MLAWordNet. "irony" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/irony/definitions/1210216>
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