irony
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
irony1 /ˈʌɪrəni/
▶noun (pl. ironies) the expression of meaning through the use of language signifying the opposite, typically for humorous effect.
■ a state of affairs that appears perversely contrary to what one expects.
■ (also dramatic or tragic irony) a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the significance of a character's words or actions is clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.
– origin C16: via L. from Gk eirōneia ‘simulated ignorance’, from eirōn ‘dissembler’.
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
irony2 /ˈʌɪəni/
▶adjective of or like iron.
'irony' also found in these Oxford entries:
