You searched for: “ironies
irony (s) (noun), ironies (pl)
1. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning: As Jamie walked away from the clerk, who had spent a lot of time helping her without indicating her appreciation, he said with irony, that she was very welcome.

Irony is an insult presented in the form of a compliment.

2. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning: Irony is a literary style that employs various contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effects.
3. Something that happens that is inconsistent with what might be expected to happen; especially, when this seems absurd or laughable: It was with a sense of irony that Richard turned down the job that he was striving so hard and for so long to obtain.

What irony to be offered three jobs after having been turned down every time for over two months.

Irony is an expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; the words say one thing but mean something else. Here is a classical example of an ironic statement as seen in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar when Mark Antony ironically stated: "Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honorable man."

Irony is saving something for many years and then getting rid of it just before it is needed.

—Compiled from Esar's Comic Dictionary by Evan Esar.
Words that signify the opposite of what is intended, sarcasm.
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Word Entries containing the term: “ironies
bitter irony (s) (noun), bitter ironies (pl)
A condition in which something happens which is undesirable and a strong sarcastic statement is made regarding that incident: Mrs. Black said a bitter irony when her husband gave her a mop and bucket as Christmas presents.
Using words that signify the opposite of what is really meant.
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Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
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This entry is located in the following unit: iron-, ironi- (page 1)
dramatic irony (s) (noun), dramatic ironies (pl)
A theatrical effect in which the true meaning of a situation, or some incongruity in the plot, is understood by the viewers, but apparently not by the characters in the play or movie: A reporter's praise in his newspaper of an awful presentation was considered to be a dramatic irony.
This entry is located in the following unit: iron-, ironi- (page 1)
tragic irony (s) (noun), tragic ironies (pl)
The use of contradictory expressions in a drama; originally, in Greek "tragedies": Tragic irony is present in some plays making it possible for an audience to be aware that a character's words or actions will bring about a fatal result, while the character is someone who apparently doesn't know that it is going to happen.
This entry is located in the following unit: iron-, ironi- (page 1)
Word Entries at Get Words: “ironies
An insult that is presented in the form of a compliment or a sarcastic statement. (1)
Word Entries at Get Words containing the term: “ironies
A comment or statement which is very sarcastic and the opposite of what it normally means. (1)