iron-, ironi-

(Greek > Latin > Old French > French: pretended ignorance; saying the opposite of what a person really means)

From Greek eironeia to Latin ironia to Old French to French ironie which signified "deliberately pretending ignorance, particularly as a rhetorical device to get the better of one's opponent in an argument".

dramatic irony (s) (noun)
Situations in which an audience knows more about what is happening in a play or movie than the characters do: "Dramatic irony occurs when the incongruity of a plot in a drama is understood by the audience but not by the characters."
iron, ironic
iron (IGH uhrn) (noun)
1. A metallic element (Fe) occurring in meteorites and igneous rock: "The explorers were looking for elements that contain iron in order to create a new mining industry in the region."
2. Robust, healthy, strong: "His iron will was legendary among the tycoons of industry."
3. An instrument or tool used for removing the creases and wrinkles in cloth: "In pioneer homes, the iron for pressing clothing was heavy and difficult to use."
4. To remove wrinkles by pressing with a heated instrument: "Would you like me to iron your shirt?"
ironic (igh RAHN ik) (adjective)
1. A difference or inconsistency between reality and expectations: "It is ironic that the shoes of the cobbler's children often had holes in them."
2. A mocking or oblique comment: "His ironic sense of humor often conveyed the truth about what he was thinking."

It was sadly ironic that Jason's uncle, who had always had an iron constitution, became seriously ill when he was just 40 years old.

ironic (adjective)
1. Characterized by or constituting sarcasm: "What a beautiful view," George said, as his ironic statement referred to the view of the alley from his hotel room."
2. An outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected: "Jill thought it was ironic that computers break down so often since they are supposed to be a faster way of getting written materials completed."

"The news article described the ironic crashing of the robber's car into a police station."

"It was an ironic turn of events when Bessie and Bert became close friends after their marital divorce."

"Irony differs from deception in that the ironist intends for the listener to reconstruct his or her attitude from the ironic utterance. It has long been noted that ironic statements are frequently spoken with a marked intonation, often termed 'the ironic tone of voice'."

It is ironic luck when a man gets wonderful poker hands when he plays bridge.

—Compiled from Esar's Comic Dictionary by Evan Esar.
ironical (adjective)
A reference to that which is contrary to what was expected or intended: "It was an ironical situation when Gilbert made himself sick by worrying so much about his health."

"Lee made an ironical statement when he said: 'It's raining cats and dogs, but it's lovely weather we're having, isn't it?' "

ironically (adverb)
A description of what is strange or funny because things happen which turn out to be the opposite of what a person expects to happen: "Mike and Mildred were ironically confronted with having plenty of money for food, but they couldn't buy it because the restaurant didn't have any available places to seat them."

"One ironically disturbing experience is when a person who has been poor all his or her life inherits a fortune after becoming too old and too ill to enjoy it. Such a situation may be characterized as the irony of fate, or one of life's little ironies and here the word little is itself being used ironically."

ironist (s), ironists (pl) (nouns)
A person who uses language that normally signifies the opposite; typically, for humor or to emphasize a point: "She was an ironist who used words that were funny because they were not what she really meant."

Herbert is an ironist who brushes his teeth with tongue in cheek.

Ironists are people who strike when the irony is hot.

—Compiled from Esar's Comic Dictionary by Evan Esar.
irony (s), ironies (pl) (nouns)
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; so, 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 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.
irony of fate (s) (noun)
That which brings about the opposite of what might have been expected: "By an irony of fate, Joseph became the savior of his brethren who had cast him into a pit and then sold him into slavery."

As seen in the Bible, The Old Testament in the book of Genesis 37-45.

tragic irony (s) (noun)
The use of dramatic irony in a tragedy; originally, in Greek tragedy: "Tragic irony is present in such a manner that the audience is aware that a character's words or actions will bring about a fatal result, while the character himself doen't know that it is going to happen."