I. irony ˈī(ə)rnē, ˈīənē, -ni adjective
Etymology: Middle English yrony, from yron, iren iron + -y — more at iron
1. : made or consisting of iron : containing or abounding in iron
irony sands
irony chains
2. : resembling iron in some quality (as taste or hardness)
an irony flavor
II. iro·ny ˈīrənē, -ni sometimes ˈīərn- noun
( -es )
Etymology: Latin ironia, from Greek eirōneia, from eirōn dissembler (perhaps from eirein to say) + -eia -y — more at word
1.
a. : feigned ignorance designed to confound or provoke an antagonist : dissimulation — compare socratic irony
b. : dramatic irony
2.
a. : humor, ridicule, or light sarcasm that adopts a mode of speech the intended implication of which is the opposite of the literal sense of the words (as when expressions of praise are used where blame is meant)
b. : this mode of expression as a literary style or form
a gift for irony
c. : an ironic utterance or expression
3. : a state of affairs or events that is the reverse of what was or was to be expected : a result opposite to and as if in mockery of the appropriate result
the irony of fate
Synonyms: see wit