The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Glenn Beck Is Now Selling Hipster Clothes. Critics claim the words irony and ironic as they are used in cases lacking a striking reversal, such as “Isn’t it ironic that you called just as I was planning to call you?,” are more properly called coincidence. The third, and debated, use of irony regards what’s called situational irony. Tired of the same old punctuation marks? the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend. What is the simple definition of irony? Irony has two formal uses that are not as common in general prose as its more casual uses. And he smiled in a grim sort of irony at himself, for he knew that he was lost. given to heartless sarcasm satire applies to writing that exposes or ridicules conduct, doctrines, or institutions either by direct criticism or more often through irony, parody, or caricature. The irony did not escape one local, Laith Hathim, as he stood and watched the newly minted refugees make their way into Mosul. (Definition of irony from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © … The use of words to mean something very different from what they appear on the surface to mean. Delivered to your inbox! Learn more. an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected. 1. irony definition: 1. a situation in which something which was intended to have a particular result has the opposite…. Articulating a simple irony definition can be daunting. “Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time. Learn a new word every day. Accessed 23 Jan. 2021. Situational irony e.g. An example of irony is someone who talks a lot having nothing to say … There is irony in this suggestion of the mercantile value of war on the lips of a spokesman of paupers. Grab our free e-book "100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid" - https://www.dailywritingtips.com/book/?s=YouTubeWhat is irony? We use it all the time and while the definition is actually quite simple, there are some nuances that we’ll need to discuss. Send us feedback. nies. . a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated. It’s a large concept, but irony can be broken down into three central categories. The Three Basic Features of Irony The principal obstacle in the way of a simple definition of irony is the fact that irony is not a simple phenomenon. 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? Here’s How, There is a crisis of face recognition and policing in the US, Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie. All rights reserved. What made you want to look up irony? Jonathan Swift uses irony in “A Modest Proposal” when he suggests the eating of babies as a solution to overpopulation and starvation in Ireland. Merriam-Webster defines irony as: 1:a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other’s false conceptions conspicuous by adroit questioning —called also Socratic irony 2: a) the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b) a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony c) an ironic expressio… In the last twenty years or so, the term \"ironic\" has become popular to describe an attitude of detachment or subversive humor, like that of someone who wears a Christmas sweater as a joke. It’s a bitter irony that the e-waste mountains collecting in the world’s poorest places actually contain a fortune. One refers to Socratic irony—a method of revealing an opponent’s ignorance by pretending to be ignorant yourself and asking probing questions. What is irony? . What Is The Difference Between “It’s” And “Its”? Dramatic irony is a type of irony in which the audience is aware of something that is happening in the narrative that a character in the story does not know. You don’t realize you’re missing a penny. Here’s a quick and simple definition:Some additional key details about irony: 1. 331 views . Classroom Applications and Uses. IRONY. What type of irony is the following? A Brief Overview Introducing verbal irony. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend. Irony, in its broadest sense, is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or event in which what on the surface appears to be the case or to be expected differs radically from what is actually the case. 2. 2. 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