irony examples class 10

• English Grammar
• Figures Of Speech

Irony - Definition, Types, Uses and Examples

Learning the figures of speech can help you make your writing a lot more interesting and descriptive. In this article, you will be introduced to the meaning and definition of irony, how it is formed and how it can be used. Also, check out the examples given for a clear idea of how irony works.

Table of Contents

What is irony – meaning and definition, the different types of irony, why use irony, some common examples of irony from literature, some examples of irony from movies and tv series, frequently asked questions on irony.

Irony is a rhetorical device that is used to express an intended meaning by using language that conveys the opposite meaning when taken literally. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines the term ‘irony’ as “the use of words that say the opposite of what you really mean, often as a joke and with a tone of voice that shows this”.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, irony is defined as “the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning”, and according to the Collins Dictionary, irony is “a subtle form of humour which involves saying things that you do not mean”. The Cambridge Dictionary defines irony as “the use of words that are the opposite of what you mean, as a way of being funny”.

Did you know that there are various types of irony? Well, if you did, great job! Those who did not know, here is a chance to learn what they are and the ways in which they can be used.

There are three main types of irony that can be employed when you are writing a short story, a play, an anecdote or even a novel. Take a look at each of the following.

• Dramatic irony is the type in which one or more characters in a story or a play is given no idea of a very important piece of information that would alter their lives and also change the course of the plot completely. Dramatic irony keeps the readers excited and sustains the interest in the happenings of the story. It lets the audience have sympathy for the characters in the story, instils fear in them and builds suspense. In simple terms, when dramatic irony is employed, the audience knows something that the characters have not yet found out or understood. William Shakespeare is known widely for the use of dramatic irony in most of his tragic plays. Christopher Marlowe, Jane Austen, Jonathan Swift and Thomas Hardy are some of the writers who made effective use of dramatic irony in their writings.
• Situational irony is the one in which the events in the story or play give the readers a result that is different from what they had been expecting to occur. This type of irony puts the protagonist of the story/play in a situation that demands a heavy price in order to get to their goal. It also aids in creating a ‘twist’. Who doesn’t like a good twist, right? This situation would push the character to a whole new level. It can also be used to communicate an intended message or moral to the audience. O. Henry, Kate Chopin, Christopher Marlowe, Jane Austen, William Shakespeare and Guy de Maupassant are some of the writers who made good use of situational irony in their works.
• Verbal irony is when the author has put the characters’ lines in such a way that the intended meaning is the exact opposite of what is being said. Unlike the other two types of irony, when verbal irony is used, the character knows the truth but uses irony intentionally in a sarcastic manner to reveal the hidden truth. Jonathan Swift, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Edgar Allen Poe and George Bernard Shaw are known for the use of verbal irony in their works.

There are specific reasons why authors make use of a particular rhetorical device in their writing. While some of it could be to make comparisons and indicate similarities, some others might to bring focus or create a humorous effect. Authors are seen using irony for some of the reasons given below:

• The first reason behind using irony is to emphasise a point that requires attention or the one that indicates a noticeable change in the character or plot.
• The next reason would be to make the readers pause for a second and think about what the author is actually trying to convey.
• Another reason is to depict the variance between what is happening, how everything at the moment occurs and what had been expected of the characters or the plot.
• Also, to induce a tone of sarcasm through the characters’ lines or the narrator’s description.

Above all this, the success of irony is achieved only when the target audience is able to realise the difference between what is being said and what is actually occurring.

Examples of Irony

Here are a few examples of irony for your reference.

Have a look at the following examples of the three types of irony from literature.

Examples of Dramatic Irony

• In the play, ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare, Iago tries to manipulate Othello into believing that he is an honest man.

“Othello: I think thou dost.

And for I know thou ‘rt full of love and honesty

And weigh’st thy words before thou giv’st them breath…”

• William Shakespeare applies dramatic irony in the play ‘Macbeth’ as well. In the below lines, we see King Duncan expressing his absolute trust over Macbeth who would kill him.

“He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust”

• In ‘Oedipus Rex’ by Sophocles, you can see Oedipus saying that he would not fail to make sure to find who the murderer of his father is.
• “On these accounts I, as for my own father,

Will fight this fight, and follow out every clue,

Seeking to seize the author of his murder.”

Examples of Situational Irony

• Samuel Taylor Coleridge uses situational irony in his poem, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ in the lines,

“Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.”

• In William Shakespeare’s play, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, you can see a great use of situational irony in the scene where Romeo finds Juliet lying as if dead and so kills himself. He says,

“O my love, my wife! Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.”

Juliet is seen waking up later to see that Romeo had killed himself, and so kills herself too.

• ‘The Gift of the Magi’ by O. Henry has an apt example of situational irony. The characters in the story – the husband and wife are seen to sell off their priced possessions in order to get the other a gift they would love. They, however, end up buying gifts that both of them can no longer use.

Examples of Verbal Irony

• The moment anyone thinks of verbal irony, the first example that comes to mind would be Antony’s speech about Brutus being an honourable man in the play, ‘Julius Caesar’ by William Shakespeare. He is seen to describe all the good that Caesar did and establish that in spite of all that, Antony said that Caesar was ambitious and that he was an honourable man. This is done for quite some time finally letting the audience understand who was in fact behind the death of Julius Caesar.
• “I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And, sure, he is an honourable man.”

• In the novel, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen, Darcy’s first impression of Elizabeth Bennet was contrary to the final outcome, hence making it an instance of verbal irony. He says, “She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me” , but ends up loving and marrying her in the end.
• In the play, ‘Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw, you can see Mrs. Higgins using verbal irony to react to Prof. Higgins’ attitude and arrogance towards Eliza.

Higgins: ‘Don’t you dare try this game on me. I taught it to you; and it doesn’t take me in. Get up and come home; and don’t be a fool.”

Mrs. Higgins: ‘Very nicely put, indeed, Henry. No woman could resist such an invitation.”

To make learning irony a little more fun, here are a few examples of irony in some of the most-watched movies and TV series. Check out the examples below and try to analyse if you were able to see the irony in it when you watched the movie/TV series.

• In the movie Maleficent, you see Aurora going back to find Maleficent, the witch who cursed her when she was born, and developing a loving relationship with her. She, however, leaves her to go see her father and ends up in the dungeon pricking her finger on the needle and falling to eternal sleep, thereby fulfilling the curse. The whole time, the audience knows about all this and all of these events can be said to bring the effect of dramatic irony in the movie.
• Snow White is seen taking the apple that would put her into a deep sleep as the Wicked Stepmother had cursed in the movie, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. It is an example of dramatic irony because the audience knows all along that the apple was the cursed apple and what it would do to Snow White.
• In ‘Aladdin’, the title character is given an opportunity to make three wishes and he is found wishing to be a prince and have all the riches in the world in order to marry Jasmine, the princess. However, his wish turns out to be ironic because the princess does not seem to be in any way attracted to him because of the riches and does not want to marry him.
• In ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S.’, the TV Series, Rachel is seen quitting her job as a waitress as she was fed up of serving coffee. Once she quits, she is so sure she does not have to serve coffee ever again. It becomes ironic when she gets a job in a field of her liking and all she has to do is serve coffee.

What is irony?

Irony is a rhetorical device that is used to express an intended meaning by using language that conveys the opposite meaning when taken literally.

What is the definition of irony?

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines the term ‘irony’ as “the use of words that say the opposite of what you really mean, often as a joke and with a tone of voice that shows this”. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, irony is defined as “the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning”, and according to the Collins Dictionary, irony is “a subtle form of humour which involves saying things that you do not mean”. The Cambridge Dictionary defines irony as “the use of words that are the opposite of what you mean, as a way of being funny”.

What are the types of irony?

There are three main types of irony and they are:

• Dramatic irony
• Situational irony
• Verbal irony

Give some examples of irony.

Given below are a few examples of irony that you can refer to.

Seeking to seize the author of his murder.” ( ‘Oedipus Rex’ by Sophocles)

And, sure, he is an honourable man.” (‘Julius Caesar’ by William Shakespeare)

• “She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me.” (‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen)
• “O my love, my wife! Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.” (‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare)
• “He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.” (‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare)

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Irony Definition

What is irony? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition, don't worry—it is. Irony is a broad term that encompasses three different types of irony, each with their own specific definition:  verbal irony ,  dramatic irony , and  situational irony . Most of the time when people use the word irony, they're actually referring to one of these specific types of irony.

Some additional key details about irony:

• The term "irony" comes from the ancient Greek comic character called the "eiron," who pretends ignorance in order to deceive an opponent. 
• Irony overlaps with, but is not identical to, sarcasm and satire . 
• 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. This more recent meaning of ironic is not entirely consistent with the original meaning of irony (a fact which itself might be described as being somewhat ironic). 

Irony Pronunciation

Here's how to pronounce irony: eye -run-ee

Irony in Depth

The term "irony" usually refers to three particular types of irony:

• Verbal irony is a figure of speech in which the literal meaning of what someone says is different from—and often opposite to—what they actually mean. For example, if someone has a painful visit to the dentist and when it's over says, "Well, that was pleasant," they are using verbal irony because the intended meaning of their words (that it  wasn't at all  pleasant) is the opposite of the literal meaning of the words. Verbal irony is the most common form of irony. In fact it is so common that when people mention "irony," they often are actually referring to verbal irony. 
• Dramatic irony  Is a plot device that highlights the difference between a character's understanding of a given situation, and that of the audience. When the audience watching a movie know what's behind that door, but the character in the movie has no idea... that's dramatic irony. 
• Situational irony  refers to an unexpected, paradoxical, or perverse turn of events. It is an example of situational irony when, in the O. Henry story " The Gift of the Magi ," a young wife cuts off her hair in order to buy her husband a chain for his prized watch, but the husband sells his watch to buy his wife a comb for her beautiful hair. 

Although these three kinds of irony may seem very different at first glance, they all share one important quality: a tension between how things appear and how they really are. For a more in-depth look at each of these devices, please visit their individual pages.

Also, it's worth knowing that sometimes instances of irony don't quite fit into any of these categories, and instead align with the more general definition of irony as something that seems to be one way, but is in fact another way. Put more broadly: sometimes irony is verbal irony, sometimes it's dramatic irony, sometimes it's situational irony, and sometimes it's just irony. 

Irony, Sarcasm, and Satire

Besides the three main types of irony described above, two other literary devices—sarcasm and satire—share a lot in common with irony:

• Sarcasm is a bitter, cutting, or mocking taunt used to denigrate a particular person, place, or thing. It can sometimes take the form of verbal irony. For instance, if you were to say to someone who had just cut you in line, "What a polite, civilized person you are!" that would be sarcasm in the form of irony, since your meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning of your words. Sarcasm very often involves irony. However, it doesn't always have to use irony. For instance, when Groucho Marx says "i never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception," he is being sarcastic, but his words, however witty they are, mean exactly what they say. 
• Satire is a form of social or political critique. Like sarcasm, it often makes use of irony, but it isn't always ironic.

You can get more details on both sarcasm and satire at their specific pages.

Irony Examples

All three forms of irony are used very frequently in literature, theater, and film. In addition, sometimes the irony found in any of these mediums is broader and doesn't fit into any of the specific categories, and is instead just general irony. 

Irony in "The Sell Out"

" The Sell Out " by Simon Rich is a short story recently published in the New Yorker that is full of irony. The story is narrated by a Polish Jew named Herschel, who lives in Brooklyn in the early twentieth century. Herschel accidentally preserves himself in brine for one hundred years, and when he is finally discovered, still alive, in 2017, he is introduced to his great-great-grandson, a young man who lives in present-day Brooklyn. On Herschel's first day, the great-great-grandson Simon tells Herschel about computers. Herschel describes the scene (note that Hershel's English isn't all that great):

It takes him long time, but eventually Simon is able to explain. A computer is a magical box that provides endless pleasure for free. Simon is used to constant access to this box—a never-ending flow of pleasures. When the box stops working—or even just briefly slows down—he becomes so enraged that he curses our God, the one who gave us life and brought us forth from Egypt.

This description is a great example of irony in the most general sense. The humor stems from the disparity between what seems to be true to Herschel (that computers are magic pleasure boxes) and what is actually true (that computers are, well, computers, and that people are kind of stupidly addicted to them). The use of irony is effective here because Hershel's description, as outlandish as it is, actually points to something that is  true about the way people use computers. Therefore, the disparity between "what is" and "what appears to be" to Herschel isn't merely a comical error; rather, it's ironic because it actually points to a greater truth about its subject.

Verbal Irony in Don Quixote

One famously ironic work is Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote .   At one point, the book's narrator states: 

… historians should and must be precise, truthful and unprejudiced, without allowing self-interest or fear, hostility or affection, to turn them away from the path of truth, whose mother is history.

We can identify the above quotation as an example of verbal irony if we consider that the book's hero, Don Quixote, is fundamentally incapable of distinguishing truth from fiction, and any historian of his life would have to follow a double track of reality and fantasy which continuously overlaps, tangles, and flips. One of the most basic premises of the book is that truth is more difficult to identify than it may seem. Therefore, when the narrator vows to follow the single path of truth, he is being ironic; in reality, he believes this to be impossible. 

Dramatic Irony in Othello

The device of dramatic irony is especially well-suited to the theater, which displays constantly shifting sets, scenes, and characters to a stationary audience that, therefore, often has a more complete or "omniscient" perspective compared to any of the characters. One excellent example of dramatic irony can be found in Shakespeare's  Othello . 

Through the play, the audience watches as Iago plots against his commander Othello, and seeks to make Othello believe that his wife Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. The audience watches as Iago plots to himself and with others. Sometimes Iago even directly reveals his plans to the audience. Meanwhile, Othello continues to trust Iago, and the audience watches as the the plan they know that Iago is pursuing slowly plays out just as he intended, and Othello eventually murders the entirely innocent Desdemona. The way that the play makes the audience aware of Iago's plot, even as Othello is not, means that the play is full of dramatic irony almost for its entire length. 

Situational Irony in The Producers

In this classic film, two friends come up with a complicated money-making scheme in which they put on a play that they think is absolutely certain to fail. Their plan backfires when the play, entitled "Springtime for Hitler," is so shockingly bad that people think it's a comedy and come to see it in droves. This is an example of situational irony because the outcome is the exact opposite of what the play's producers expected.

Why Do Writers Use Irony?

Irony is a tool that can be used for many different purposes. Though sarcasm and satire are two ways of using irony that are primarily negative and critical, ironic statements can also underscore the fragility, complexity, and beauty of human experience.

• Situational irony often demonstrates how human beings are always at the mercy of an unpredictable universe—and that life can always take an unexpected turn.
• Dramatic irony emphasizes that human knowledge is always partial and often incorrect, while giving the reader or viewer the satisfaction of a more complete understanding than that of the characters.
• In dialogue, verbal irony can display one character's sparkling wit, and another character's thickheadedness. Verbal irony can also create a connection between people who  get  the irony, excluding those who don't.

Ultimately, irony is used to create meaning—whether it's humorous or profound—out of the gap between the way things appear and how they actually are.

Other Helpful Irony Resources

• The Wikipedia page on irony : A helpful overview.
• The dictionary definition of irony : A basic definition, with a bit on the etymology.
• The comedian George Carlin explaining the difference  between situational irony and mere coincidence.
• A site with a helpful index of examples of different types of irony in television, film, video games, and other media.

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Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of irony.

As a literary device, irony is a contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality. This can be a difference between the surface meaning of something that is said and the underlying meaning. It can also be a difference between what might be expected to happen and what actually occurs. The definition of irony can further be divided into three main types: verbal, dramatic, and situational. We describe these types in detail below.

The word “irony” comes from the Greek character Eiron, who was an underdog and used his wit to overcome a stronger character. The Greek word eironeía derived from this character and came to mean “dissimulation” or “purposely affected ignorance.” The word then entered Latin as ironia, and eventually became common as a figure of speech in English in the 16th century.

Irony is sometimes confused with events that are just unfortunate coincidences. For example, Alanis Morrissette’s song “Ironic” contains many events that are not ironic in any sense. She cites “rain on your wedding day” and “a traffic jam when you’re already late” as ironic situations, yet these are merely bad luck.

Types of Irony

Verbal irony.

Verbal irony takes place when the speaker says something in sharp contrast to his or her actual meaning. The speaker often makes a statement that seems very direct, yet indicates that the opposite is in fact true, or what the speaker really means. Looking at Alanis Morrissette’s “Ironic” again, the one true instance of irony comes when the man whose plane is going down says, “Well, isn’t this nice.” Clearly, the plane crash is anything but nice, and thus this utterance conveys the opposite of the man’s true feelings. Unlike dramatic and situational irony , verbal irony is always intentional on the part of the speaker.

Verbal irony can also consist of “ironic similes”, which are comparisons in which the two things are not alike at all. For example, “as soft as sandpaper” or “as warm as ice.” These similes mean that the thing in question is actually not soft or warm at all. The author Daniel Handler (who writes with the pen name Lemony Snicket) takes ironic similes to an extreme by qualifying them so they actually become real comparisons. For example: “Today was a very cold and bitter day, as cold and bitter as a cup of hot chocolate, if the cup of hot chocolate had vinegar added to it and were placed in a refrigerator for several hours.”

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony occurs when the audience has more information than one or more characters in a work of literature. This literary device originated in Greek tragedy and often leads to tragic outcomes. For example, in Shakespeare’s Othello, the audience is aware that Othello’s best friend Iago is villainous and attempting to bring Othello down. The audience is also aware that Desdemona has been faithful, though Othello doesn’t know this. The audience can foresee the imminent disaster.

There are three stages of dramatic irony: installation, exploitation, and resolution. In the case of Othello, the installation is when Iago persuades Othello to suspect that Desdemona is having an affair with a man named Cassio. Iago then exploits the situation by planting Desdemona’s handkerchief, a gift from Othello, in Cassio’s room. The resolution is only after Othello has murdered Desdemona when her friend Emilia reveals Iago’s scheme.

Situational Irony

Situational irony consists of a situation in which the outcome is very different from what was expected. There are contradictions and contrasts present in cases of situational irony. For example, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the citizens of the Emerald City assume that Oz is great and all-powerful, yet the man behind the curtain is revealed to be an old man with no special powers.

Other types of irony:

• Cosmic Irony : Cosmic irony, also known as “irony of fate”, is present in stories that contain gods who have different agendas than humans. These gods, or the Fates, may play with the lives of humans for their own amusement. The irony lies in contrast between what the humans expect and what actually happens. Though this is most common in Greek legends, it is also present in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles where the immortals play with Tess’s life.
• Historical Irony : Historical irony relates to real events that happened that, when seen in retrospect, had vastly different outcomes than predicted at the time. For example, Chinese alchemists discovered gunpowder when looking for a way to create immortality. The result of their discovery was the opposite of what they were looking for.
• Socratic Irony : The philosopher Socrates would pretend to be ignorant about the topic under debate to draw out the nonsensical arguments of his opponent. This is particularly evident in the Platonic dialogues. This technique is an example of dramatic irony because Socrates pretended to have less information than he really did.

Difference between Irony and Sarcasm

Though there are many similarities between verbal irony and sarcasm , they are not equivalent. However, there are many dissenting opinions about how, exactly, they are different. For example, the Encyclopedia Britannica simply explains that sarcasm is non-literary irony. Others have argued that while someone employing verbal irony says the opposite of what that person means, sarcasm is direct speech that is aggressive humor. For example, when Winston Churchill told Bessie Braddock that “I shall be sober in the morning, and you will still be ugly,” he was being sarcastic and not employing any irony.

Common Examples of Irony

• Verbal irony : “What a pleasant day” (when it is raining heavily)
• Situational irony : Referring to WWI as “the war to end all wars”
• Situational irony : In 1925 when the New York Times declared that the crossword puzzle was a craze that was “dying out fast”
• Dramatic irony : The movie “The Truman Show”, where only Truman doesn’t know that he’s being filmed at all times

Examples of Irony in Literature

Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare

In this famous love story the audience can foresee the tragic ending long before Romeo and Juliet themselves know what’s going to happen. At the end of the play, Romeo finds Juliet and believes her to be dead though the audience knows she’s taken a sleeping potion. Romeo kills himself with this false knowledge. Juliet then wakes up and, finding Romeo truly dead, kills herself as well. This irony example is one of dramatic irony as the audience has more information than the characters.

MARK ANTONY: But Brutus says he was ambitious; / And Brutus is an honourable man.

( Julius Caesar by Shakespeare)

In this quote from Julius Caesar, Mark Antony is seemingly praising Brutus after the assassination of Julius Caesar. However, this example of irony is one of verbal irony, since Mark Antony is in fact implying that Brutus is neither ambitious nor honorable.

“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry

In this short story, a young, poor couple struggle with what to buy each other for Christmas. The woman cuts her hair and sells it to buy a watchband for her husband. Meanwhile, the husband sells his watch face to buy combs for his wife’s hair. This is an example of situational irony, since the outcome is the opposite of what both parties expect.

“The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen

In this short story, and later in the Disney adaptation, a mermaid falls in love with a prince and saves him from drowning. Desperate to be with him, the mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch to trade her voice for human legs. Though the prince is charmed by the mermaid he doesn’t realize who she really is because she no longer has a voice. This is an example of dramatic irony where the audience has more information than the prince.

Test Your Knowledge of Irony

1. Choose the best irony definition: A. An unfortunate coincidence in which the worst possible ending comes to pass. B. A contrast between expectations for what is going to happen and what actually does happen. C. A biting comment meant to be both humorous and true.

2. Is the following an example of situational, dramatic, or verbal irony?

In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus kills his own father without realizing that the man is actually his father. This act brings on a plague and Oedipus swears that he will murder the man responsible, not knowing that he himself is responsible.

A. Dramatic irony B. Situational irony C. Verbal irony

3. American President John F. Kennedy’s final reported conversation was with a woman who announced, “Mr. President, you can’t say that Dallas doesn’t love you.” JFK agreed, “That’s very obvious.” Why is this an example of irony?

A. The event was very tragic, and thus it was ironic. B. JFK was aware that he was in danger, and thus employed verbal irony when he asserted that Dallas must love him, knowing this wasn’t the case. C. In retrospect, this conversation was ironic because the outcome of the situation was completely at odds with what anyone would have expected to happen.

• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use Irony

I. What is Irony?

Irony (pronounced ‘eye-run-ee’) is when there are two contradicting meanings of the same situation, event, image, sentence, phrase, or story.  In many cases, this refers to the difference between expectations and reality.

For example, if you go sight-seeing anywhere in the world today, you will see crowds of people who are so busy taking cell-phone pictures of themselves in front of the sight that they don’t actually look at what they came to see with their own eyes.  This is ironic, specifically, situational irony . This one situation has two opposing meanings that contradict expectations: (1) going to see a sight and prove that you were there (2) not enjoying the thing you went to see.

Irony is often used for critical or humorous effect in literature, music, art, and film (or a lesson).  In conversation, people often use verbal irony to express humor, affection, or emotion, by saying the opposite of what they mean to somebody who is expected to recognize the irony.  “I hate you” can mean “I love you”—but only if the person you’re saying it to already knows that! This definition is, of course, related to the first one (as we expect people’s words to reflect their meaning) and in most cases, it can be considered a form of sarcasm.

II. Examples of Irony

A popular visual representation of irony shows a seagull sitting on top of a “no seagulls” sign. The meaning of the sign is that seagulls are not allowed in the area.  The seagull sitting on the sign not only contradicts it, but calls attention to the absurdity of trying to dictate where seagulls may or may not go, which makes us laugh.

Another example is a staircase leading up to a fitness center, with an escalator running alongside it. All the gym patrons are using the escalator and no one is on the stairs. Given that this is a fitness center, we’d expect that everyone should be dedicated to health and exercise, and so they would use the free exercise offered by the stairs. But instead, they flock to the comfort of the escalator, in spite of the fact that they’ve come all this way just to exercise. Once again, our expectations are violated and the result is irony and humor.

Aleister Crowley, a famous English mystic of the early twentieth century, who taught that a person could do anything if they mastered their own mind, died of heroin addiction. This is ironic because the way he died completely contradicts what he taught.

III. The Importance of Irony

The most common purpose of irony is to create humor and/or point out the absurdity of life. As in the all of the examples above, life has a way of contradicting our expectations, often in painful ways. Irony generally makes us laugh, even when the circumstances are tragic, such as in Aleister Crowley’s failure to beat his addiction. We laugh not because the situations were tragic, but because they violate our expectations.  The contrast between people’s expectations and the reality of the situations is not only funny, but also meaningful because it calls our attention to how wrong human beings can be.  Irony is best when it points us towards deeper meanings of a situation.

IV. Examples of Irony in Literature

In O. Henry’s famous short story The Gift of the Magi , a husband sells his prized watch so that he can buy combs as a gift for his wife. Meanwhile, the wife sells her beautiful hair so she can buy a watch-chain for her husband. The characters ’ actions contradict each other’s expectations and their efforts to give each other gifts make the gifts useless.

Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amantillado is full of verbal and situational irony, including the name of the main character. He’s called Fortunato (Italian for “fortunate”), in spite of the fact that he’s extremely unlucky throughout the story.

Water, water everywhere, nor any a drop to drink.

This line from Samuel Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” describes the dark irony of a sailor dying of thirst on his boat while he is surrounded by water.

V. Examples of Irony in Pop Culture

Alannis Morisette’s popular song “Ironic” contains such lyrics as:

Rain on your wedding day A free ride when you’ve already paid Good advice that you just didn’t take

These are not examples of irony . They’re just unfortunate coincidences. However, the fact that her song is called “Ironic” and yet has such unironic lyrics is itself ironic. The title contradicts the lyrics of the song. It isn’t, so your expectations are violated.

In Disney’s Aladdin , Aladdin wishes for riches and power so that he can earn the right to marry Princess Jasmine. Thanks to the genie’s magic, he gets all the wealth he could ask for and parades through the streets as a prince. But, ironically, this makes him unattractive to the princess and he finds himself further away from his goal than he was as a poor beggar. In this case, it’s the contrast between Aladdin’s expectations and results which are ironic.

Related terms

Sarcasm is a kind of verbal irony that has a biting or critical tone, although it can be used to express affection between friends It is one of the most common forms of irony in fiction and in real life. We’ve all heard people use verbal irony to mock, insult, or poke fun at someone or something. For example, here’s a famous sarcastic line from The Princess Bride :

Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

In the scene, Wesley is insulting the intelligence of Vizzini the Sicilian using verbal irony (the word “truly” makes it even more ironic, since Wesley is reassuring Vizzini of the truth of an untrue statement). The line is both ironic and mean, and therefore it’s sarcastic . One needs to be a little careful with sarcasm, since you can easily hurt people’s feelings or make them angry.

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20 Irony Examples: In Literature and Real Life

Millie Dinsdale

Irony occurs when what happens is the opposite from what is expected.

Writers use irony as a literary technique to add humor, create tension, include uncertainty, or form the central plot of a story.

We will be looking at the four types of irony (three common and one uncommon) and providing examples and tips to help you identify and use them in your work.

Quick Reminder of What Irony Is

Irony examples in literature, irony examples in real life, which scenario is an example of irony.

Irony is a rhetorical device in which the appearance of something is opposite to its reality .

There are four main types of irony: verbal irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, and Socratic irony . Socratic irony is not a literary device, and therefore we will not be looking at examples, but it is worth being aware of.

• Verbal Irony is when a speaker says one thing but means something entirely different. The literal meaning is at odds with the intended meaning.
• Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the characters don’t.
• Situational Irony is when what happens is the opposite of what you expect.
• Socratic Irony is when a person feigns ignorance in order to get another to admit to knowing or doing something. It is named after Socrates, the Greek philosopher, who used this technique to tease information out of his students.

Why is irony important to understand? Along with being a key rhetorical device, irony can also be very effective when used correctly in writing.

To demonstrate this fact we have selected ten examples of irony usage from popular literature. Warning: this list includes a few spoilers.

1) The main characters’ wishes in L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz are a perfect example of situational irony .

The characters go on a quest to fulfill their hearts’ desires and instead of doing so they realize that they already had what they wanted all along. It is unexpected because the reader might assume that all of their desires will be gifted to the four main characters but, in the end, it’s unnecessary.

2) The conclusion between the two primary opponents in The Night Circus contains a large amount of situational irony .

The reader is led to expect that either Marco or Celia will win but, in the end, they both end up working together to keep their creation alive. The competition is not as black and white (pardon the pun) as it initially seems.

3) The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is full of verbal irony . A great example of this is when Dr Jekyll says “I am quite sure of him,” when referring to Mr Hyde.

This is verbal irony because the reader finds out that Hyde is actually Jekyll’s alter ego, so it would be expected that he knows himself well.

4) Shakespeare creates dramatic irony in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet through the line: “A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”

This well-known example is ironic because the reader knows from the very beginning that their romance will end in death, but they don’t yet know how.

5) Alice’s changing relationship with the Bandersnatch in Alice in Wonderland is situationally ironic .

When we first meet the Bandersnatch, he is ferocious and attempts to harm Alice. When Alice returns his eye, they become friends and the two work together to defeat the Jabberwocky. The audience expects to see an enemy but are instead presented with an ally.

6) George Orwell masters situational irony in Animal Farm through the animals’ endless and fruitless battle to obtain freedom.

All of the animals work together to escape the tyranny of the humans who own them. In doing so they end up under the even stricter rule of the pigs.

7) Roald Dahl’s short story A Lamb to a Slaughter is full of dramatic irony .

A housewife kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb when he asks for a divorce. The police come looking for evidence and unknowingly dispose of it when they are fed the murder weapon for dinner.

8) The repeated line “May the odds be ever in your favor” in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is verbally ironic .

Everyone from district 1 through 12 can be offered as a child sacrifice and has a 1/24 chance of surviving. Even if they do survive they are then delivered back under the control of the Capitol, so the odds are in nobody’s favor.

9) The disparity between children and adults in Roald Dahl’s Matilda is situationally ironic .

Most of the adults in Matilda’s life are hot-headed, uneducated, and unreasonable, while she as a six-year old is more mature than most of them. The traditional roles of child and adult are unexpectedly flipped on their heads.

10) The hit-and-run in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is situationally ironic .

Daisy Buchanan kills Myrtle when Myrtle runs in front of Gatsby’s car. It is ironic because Myrtle is Tom Buchanan’s mistress but Daisy does not know this. She unintentionally killed her husband's mistress.

Irony works so well in literature because it is so common in real life. Have you ever found yourself saying “well that’s ironic” to a situation in your life?

You could be talking about verbal, situational, or dramatic irony. Let’s take a look at a few everyday examples of each type.

11) When you find out that your pulmonologist (lung doctor) smokes.

This is situationally ironic because you’d expect this doctor of all people to avoid smoking because they understand all of the risks.

12) When someone falls over for the tenth time while ice-skating and says “I meant to do that.”

This person cannot be intending to fall over all the time but they are using verbal irony to make light of a possibly painful situation.

13) Your dog eats his certificate of dog-training obedience.

You would expect that in the process of having obtained an obedience certificate, the dog would also have learnt not to eat random objects. This is an example of situational irony .

14) The fire hydrant is on fire.

This is situationally ironic because the last thing that you would expect to be on fire is the object that is designed to fight fires. A similar example to this would be if a fire station were on fire.

15) A girl is teasing her friend for having mud on his face but she doesn’t know that she also has mud on her face.

From the point of view of the friend, this is an example of dramatic irony because he knows something that she does not.

16) Your mom buys a non-stick pan but has to throw it away because the label is so sticky she cannot get it off.

You would predict that the pan was completely non-stick but are proven wrong at the first hurdle, which is situationally ironic .

17) When someone crashes into a “thank you for driving carefully'' sign.

The vision of a car crashed into the sign makes it clear that they did not drive carefully at all, which is situationally ironic .

18) Buying your English teacher a mug that reads “your the best teacher ever.”

The poor English teacher may feel like they have failed in their job in this situationally ironic situation where their student has bought them a mug with a grammar mistake.

19) When a child says “I want crisps now!” and the parent says: “Thank you so much for using your good manners.”

The child is being impolite and the parent is not actually congratulating the child on their manners in this example of verbal irony . They mean the exact opposite.

20) You can’t open your new scissors because you don’t have any scissors to cut through the plastic.

This example of situational irony is far too common. In buying scissors, it can be expected that you do not have any, so it is ironic that the packaging is designed for someone who already has a pair.

Are you ready for a quick quiz to test your knowledge of irony? The test is split into the three types of irony.

Which of These Are Examples of Situational Irony?

1) A police station is robbed.

2) A child loses his rucksack after being told to take care not to lose it.

3) A person eats sweets while preaching about healthy eating

Only 1) and 3) are examples of situational irony. Sentence 2) is not a situational irony example because it could be expected that the child might lose the rucksack and that is why they were told to take care.

It would, however, be ironic if he subsequently lost his “Most Organized in 2nd Grade” certificate five minutes after being awarded it.

Which of These Are Examples of Verbal Irony?

1) Saying “The weather is lovely today” while it is hailing.

2) “Wow that perfume is so lovely, did you bathe in it?”

3) Saying “Thank you so much for your help” after someone has crushed your new glasses while helping to look for them.

Only example 1) is verbally ironic, the other two are sarcastic comments.

Verbal irony and sarcasm are often confused but there is one big difference between them: verbal irony is when what you say is the opposite of what you mean while sarcasm is specifically meant to embarrass or insult someone.

Which of These Are Examples of Dramatic Irony?

1) A small ship without life boats is stuck in a monumental storm in the middle of the Atlantic.

2) Three characters are killed and a fourth seems to be going the same way.

3) A girl walks down the same alley we have just seen a known murderer walk down.

Only option 3) is an example of dramatic irony because the audience knows that the murderer is down the alley but the girl does not.

Although the other two examples are undeniably dramatic, there is no inherent irony because the audience has no more knowledge about what will happen than those involved.

Why Should You Use Irony in Your Writing?

Irony can be an effective tool to make a reader stop and think about what has just happened.

It can also emphasize a central theme or idea by adding an unexpected twist to the events of the story.

What brilliant examples of irony in literature have we missed? Share your favorites in the comments.

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Definition and Examples of Irony (Figure of Speech)

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• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Irony is the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. Similarly, irony may be a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.

Adjective: ironic or ironical . Also known as  eironeia , illusio , and the dry mock .

The Three Kinds of Irony

Three kinds of irony are commonly recognized:

• Verbal irony is a trope in which the intended meaning of a statement differs from the meaning that the words appear to express.
• Situational irony involves an incongruity between what is expected or intended and what actually occurs.
• Dramatic irony is an effect produced by a narrative in which the audience knows more about the present or future circumstances than a character in the story.

In light of these different varieties of irony, Jonathan Tittler has concluded that irony

"has meant and means so many different things to different people that rarely is there a meeting of minds as to its particular sense on a given occasion."

(Quoted by Frank Stringfellow in The Meaning of Irony , 1994.)

From the Greek, "feigned ignorance"

Pronunciation:

Irony in academics.

Academicians and others have explained irony in its various forms, including how to use it and how others have used it, as these quotes show.

D.C. Muecke

"Irony may be used as a rhetorical device to enforce one's meaning. It may be used . . . as a satiric device to attack a point of view or to expose folly, hypocrisy, or vanity. It may be used as a heuristic device to lead one's readers to see that things are not so simple or certain as they seem, or perhaps not so complex or doubtful as they seem. It is probable that most irony is rhetorical, satirical, or heuristic. ... "In the first place irony is a double-layered or two-story phenomenon. ... In the second place, there is always some kind of opposition that may take the form of contradiction, incongruity, or incompatibility. ... In the third place, there is in irony an element of 'innocence.'" — The Compass of Irony . Methuen, 1969

R. Kent Rasmussen

"David Wilson, the title character of Pudd'nhead Wilson , is a master of irony. In fact, his use of irony permanently marks him. When he first arrives in Dawson's Landing in 1830, he makes an ironic remark that the villagers cannot understand. Distracted by the annoying yelping of an unseen dog, he says, 'I wished I owned half of that dog.' When asked why, he replies, 'Because I would kill my half.' He does not really want to own half the dog, and he probably does not really want to kill it; he merely wants to silence it and knows killing half the dog would kill the whole animal and achieve the desired effect. His remark is a simple example of irony, and the failure of the villagers to understand it causes them immediately to brand Wilson a fool and nickname him 'pudd'nhead.' The very title of the novel is, therefore, based on irony, and that irony is compounded by the fact that Wilson is anything but a fool." — Bloom's How to Write About Mark Twain . Infobase, 2008

Bryan Garner

"A classic example of irony is Mark Antony's speech in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar . Although Antony declares, 'I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,' and declares that the assassins are 'honorable men,' he means just the opposite." — Garner's Modern American Usage . Oxford University Press, 2009

Barry Brummett

"It is sometimes said that we live in an age of irony. Irony in this sense may be found, for example, all throughout The Daily Show with Jon Stewart . Suppose you hear a political candidate give a terribly long speech, one that rambles on and on without end. Afterward, you might turn to a friend sitting next to you, roll your eyes, and say, 'Well, that was short and to the point, wasn't it?' You are being ironic. You are counting on your friend to turn the literal meaning of your expression, to read it as exactly the opposite of what your words actually mean. ... "When irony works, it helps to cement social bonds and mutual understanding because the speaker and hearer of irony both know to turn the utterance, and they know that the other one knows they will turn the utterance. ... "Irony is a kind of winking at each other, as we all understand the game of meaning reversal that is being played." — Techniques of Close Reading . Sage, 2010

"Irony has always been a primary tool the under-powered use to tear at the over-powered in our culture. But now irony has become the bait that media corporations use to appeal to educated consumers. ... It's almost an ultimate irony that those who say they don't like TV will sit and watch TV as long as the hosts of their favorite shows act like they don't like TV, either. Somewhere in this swirl of droll poses and pseudo-insights, irony itself becomes a kind of mass therapy for a politically confused culture. It offers a comfortable space where complicity doesn't feel like complicity. It makes you feel like you are counter-cultural while never requiring you to leave the mainstream culture it has so much fun teasing. We are happy enough with this therapy that we feel no need to enact social change." — Review of The Daily Show , 2001

Jon Winokur

"Alanis Morissette's 'Ironic,' in which situations purporting to be ironic are merely sad, random, or annoying (a traffic jam when you're late, a no-smoking sign on your cigarette break) perpetuates widespread misuse of the word and outrages irony prescriptivists . It is, of course, ironic that 'Ironic' is an unironic song about irony. Bonus irony: 'Ironic' is widely cited as an example of how Americans don't get irony, despite the fact that Alanis Morissette is Canadian." — The Big Book of Irony . St. Martin's, 2007

R. Jay Magill, Jr.

"Direct expression, with no tricks, gimmickry, or irony, has come to be interpreted ironically because the default interpretive apparatus says, 'He can't really mean THAT!' When a culture becomes ironic about itself en masse , simple statements of brutal fact, simple judgments of hate or dislike become humorous because they unveil the absurdity, 'friendliness,' and caution of normal public expression. It's funny because it's true. Honestly. We're all upside down now." — Chic Ironic Bitterness . University of Michigan Press, 2007

Irony in Popular Cultue

Irony also has a large presence in popular culture—books, movies, and television shows. These quotes show the concept in use in a variety of formats.

John Hall Wheelock

"A planet doesn't explode of itself," said drily The Martian astronomer, gazing off into the air— "That they were able to do it is proof that highly Intelligent beings must have been living there." — "Earth"

Raymond Huntley and Eliot Makeham

Kampenfeldt: This is a grave matter, a very grave matter. It has just been reported to me that you've been expressing sentiments hostile to the Fatherland. Schwab: What, me sir? Kampenfeldt: I warn you, Schwab, such treasonable conduct will lead you to a concentration camp. Schwab: But sir, what did I say? Kampenfeldt: You were distinctly heard to remark, "This is a fine country to live in." Schwab: Oh, no, sir. There's some mistake. No, what I said was, "This is a fine country to live in." Kampenfeldt: Huh? You sure? Schwab: Yes sir. Kampenfeldt: I see. Well, in future don't make remarks that can be taken two ways. — Night Train to Munich , 1940

Peter Sellers

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room." — As President Merkin Muffley in Dr. Strangelove, 1964

William Zinsser

"It is a fitting irony that under Richard Nixon, launder became a dirty word."

Alan Bennett

"We're conceived in irony. We float in it from the womb. It's the amniotic fluid. It's the silver sea. It's the waters at their priest-like task, washing away guilt and purpose and responsibility. Joking but not joking. Caring but not caring. Serious but not serious." — Hilary in The Old Country , 1977

Thomas Carlyle

"An ironic man, with his sly stillness, and ambuscading ways, more especially an ironic young man, from whom it is least expected, may be viewed as a pest to society." Sartor Resartus: The Life and Opinions of Herr Teufelsdrockh , 1833-34

"Glee"

Rachel Berry: Mr. Schuester, do you have any idea how ridiculous it is to give the lead solo in "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" to a boy in a wheelchair? Artie Abrams: I think Mr. Schue is using irony to enhance the performance. Rachel Berry: There's nothing ironic about show choir! — Pilot episode, 2009

"Seinfeld"

​ Woman: I started riding these trains in the '40s. Those days a man would give up his seat for a woman. Now we're liberated and we have to stand. Elaine: It's ironic. Woman: What's ironic? Elaine: This, that we've come all this way, we have made all this progress, but you know we've lost the little things, the niceties. Woman: No, I mean what does ironic mean? Elaine: Oh.​ — "The Subway," Jan. 8 1992

Sideshow Bob

"I'm aware of the irony of appearing on TV in order to decry it." — The Simpsons

Calvin Trillin

"Math was my worst subject because I could never persuade the teacher that my answers were meant ironically."

The Men Who Stare at Goats,

Lyn Cassady: It's okay, you can "attack" me. Bob Wilton: What's with the quotation fingers? It's like saying I'm only capable of ironic attacking or something.​ — 2009

Irony Deficiency

Irony deficiency  is an informal term for the inability to recognize, comprehend, and/or utilize irony—that is, a tendency to interpret  figurative language  in a literal way.

Jonah Goldberg

"Mobsters are reputedly huge fans of  The Godfather . They don’t see it as a tale of individual moral corruption. They see it as a nostalgia trip to better days for the mob." — "The Irony of Irony."  National Review , April 28, 1999

"Irony deficiency is directly proportional to the strength of the political commitment or religious fervor. True believers of all persuasions are irony deficient. ... "Brutal dictators are irony deficient—take Hitler, Stalin, Kim Jong-il, and Saddam Hussein, a world-class vulgarian whose art collection consisted of kitsch paintings displayed unironically." — The Big Book of Irony . Macmillan, 2007

Swami Beyondananda

"Here is something ironic: We live at a time when our diets are richer in irony than ever before in human history, yet millions of us suffer from that silent crippler, irony deficiency ... not so much a deficiency in irony itself, but an inability to utilize the abundance of irony all around us." — Duck Soup for the Soul . Hysteria, 1999

Roy Blount, Jr.

"Will people who detect a lack of irony in other cultures never stop to consider that this may be a sign of their own irony deficiency? Maybe it's defensible when the apes detect a lack of irony in Charlton Heston in  Planet of the Apes , but not when, say, Brits detect it in, say, Americans as a race . ... The point of irony, after all, is to say things behind people's backs to their faces. If you look around the poker table and can't tell who the pigeon is, it's you." — "How to Talk Southern."  The New York Times , Nov. 21, 2004

• What Is Rhetorical Irony?
• Definition and Examples of Situational Irony
• What Is the Figure of Speech Antiphrasis?
• Verbal Irony - Definition and Examples
• Figurative Meaning
• Brief Introductions to Common Figures of Speech
• Understanding Subtext
• Paralepsis (Rhetoric)
• Definition and Examples of Sarcasm
• Figure of Thought in Rhetoric
• Definition and Examples of Dramatic Irony
• Definition and Examples of Litotes in English Grammar
• 100 Awfully Good Examples of Oxymorons
• The Four Master Tropes in Rhetoric
• What "Literal Meaning" Really Means
• 20 Figures of Speech That We Never Heard About in School

Did you know that the oldest known poem is 4000 years old? Evidently, poetry is one of the oldest forms of expression, which also saw the rise of legends William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Pablo Neruda to name a few. What makes poetry so intriguing and beautiful? Let’s find out!

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The sea and my love both are deep I get as much as I give Both are infinite

Now read this:

My bounty is as deep as the sea My love as deep The more I give to thee The more I have For both are infinite

On comparing both, it is evident that the latter is better and closer to a poem. Whereas, the former is really raw. Observe that the second poem has a rhyming scheme. We will be learning about rhyming schemes and more. The second poem is written by the well known, William Shakespeare.

Poetic Devices

Let us discuss some commonly used terms used to add beauty to a poem.

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Alliteration

Holding a unique universe undone by you

‘u’ is dominant here. This is a good example of alliteration. Evidently, alliteration is a literary device which is present if the sound of the second or the third letter repeats in a series. Also, alliteration is used to stress a consonant sound in stressed syllables. As can be seen, it creates a rhythmic effect.

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that is we can use to stress some strong feeling but not literally. For example,

I was so cold I saw polar bears dancing in the night sky.

Obviously, polar bears can’t dance (generally). Thus the reference of polar bears dancing in the night sky is an exaggeration of feeling extreme cold.

Imagery is a poetic device which is used to add depth to a sentence and is thus descriptive in nature. Generally, imagery appeals to at least one of our five senses. In other words, imagery creates an image in our minds thus adding depth to the literature. Imagery is of two types:

The metaphor is used to describe a thing by mentioning some other thing. Also, a metaphor is used when something is directly related to the another, without drawing any line of distinction between them. For example:  Spread myself on a blue canvas.

One major difference between a simile and a metaphor is that in a simile we describe two things as similar to each other. Whereas, in a metaphor, two things are presented exactly as one. For example,  His anger burnt like an insatiable fire.

Note:  Since both metaphor and simile are bifurcations of imagery, there is a thin line between both. However, generally, we can spot a simile in a sentence if words like- ‘like’, ‘as’, ‘similar to’ etc. are used to highlight similarity.

One of the most commonly used poetic devices is irony. An ironical statement induces a sarcastic effect. In other words, we can detect irony when we write something that is contradictory to what is expected. For example,  A fire station burns down.

An oxymoron is present if two completely opposite words are used in conjunction. For example:  Both the worlds have the same difference.

Onomatopoeia

Here, we take help of words to imitate sounds. For example, ‘tik-tok’ is the sound of a clock, ‘the cow goes moo’ and so on.

Personification

In case of a personification, we give human-like abilities to an object. Here non-living things are related to human attributes. For example,  The sky wept tears all night.

Rhyme Scheme

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line in a poem. Generally, a rhyme scheme is represented by elementary letters, with a different letter for a different rhyme. For example, here’s a part of the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’:

Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

The rhyme scheme here is ABAAB

Some Other Poetic Devices

We use an allusion to state a circumstance or object in order to represent a given idea. For example, Abraham Lincoln is known for his great leadership skills. This fact is used in the following allusive statement-  He is the Abraham Lincoln of our campaign.

Understatement

Understatement contains an expression of lesser strength than what would be expected. For example,  Hit by the bus, the band-aid did the job.

Note: A given statement can have more than one poetic device.

Solved Example for You on Poetry

Question:   Identify the poetic devices used in the following statements:

• Let’s roar like a lion.
• We birds were chirping our songs.
• The sun slept on the horizon bed.
• The snake hissed at the routine chaos.
• Alliteration:  like a lion, simile: like a lion, hyperbole: roaring.
• Metaphor:  we birds were chirping,  onomatopoeia:  chirping,  hyperbole.
• Metaphor:  horizon bed,  alliteration: sun slept,  personification:  the sun slept.
• Onomatopoeia:  hissed,  oxymoron: routine chaos

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What are some examples of irony?

What Is Irony? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Irony definition.

Irony  (EYE-run-ee) is a literary device in which a word or event means something different—and often contradictory—to its actual meaning. At its most fundamental, irony is a difference between reality and something’s appearance or expectation, creating a natural tension when presented in the  context  of a story. In recent years, irony has taken on an additional meaning, referring to a situation or joke that is subversive in nature; the fact that the term has come to mean something different than what it actually does is, in itself, ironic.

The history of the word points to its somewhat deceptive nature. It comes from the Ancient Greek  eiron , meaning a stock character in early theatrical productions who feigns ignorance to fool someone else.

Types of Irony

When someone uses irony, it is typically in one of the three ways: verbal, situational, or dramatic.

Verbal Irony

In this form of irony, the speaker says something that differs from—and is usually in opposition with—the real meaning of the word(s) they’ve used. Take, for example, Edgar Allan Poe’s short story  “The Cask of Amontillado.”  As Montresor encloses Fortunato into the catacombs’ walls, he mocks Fortunato’s plea—”For the love of God, Montresor!”—by replying, “Yes, for the love of God!” Poe uses this to underscore how Montresor’s actions are anything but loving or humane—thus, far from God.

Situational Irony

This occurs when there is a difference between the intention of a specific situation and its result. The result is often unexpected or contrary to a person’s goal. The entire  plot  of L. Frank Baum’s  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz  hinges on situational irony. Dorothy and her friends spend the story trying to reach the Wizard so Dorothy can find a way back home, but in the end, the Wizard informs her that she had the power and knowledge to return home all along.

Dramatic Irony

Here, there is a disparity in how a character understands a situation and how the audience understands it. In Henrik Ibsen’s play  A Doll’s House , the married Nora excitedly anticipates the day when she’ll be able to repay Krogstad, who illegally lent her money. She imagines a future “free from care,” but the audience understands that, because Nora must continue to lie to her husband about the loan, she will never be free.

Not all irony adheres perfectly to one of these definitions. In some cases, irony is simply irony, where something’s appearance on the surface is substantially different from the truth.

Irony vs. Coincidence

Irony is often confused with coincidence. Though there is some overlap between the two terms, they are not the same thing. Coincidence describes two or more unlikely activities that share unexplainable similarities. It is often confused with situational irony. For example, finding out a friend you made in adulthood went to your high school is a coincidence, not an ironic event. Additionally, coincidence isn’t classifiable by type.

Irony, on the other hand, has a much starker and more substantial disparity between intention and result, with the result often the direct opposite of the intention. For example, the fact that the word  lisp  is ironic, considering it refers to an inability to properly pronounce  s  sounds but itself contains an  s .

The Functions of Irony

How an author uses irony depends on their intentions and the story or scene’s larger  context . In much of literature, irony highlights a larger point the author is making—often a commentary on the inherent difficulties and messiness of human existence.

With verbal irony, a writer can demonstrate a character’s intelligence, wit, or snark—or, as in the case of “ The Cask of Amontillado ,” a character’s unmitigated evil. It is primarily used in dialogue and rarely offers up any insight into the plot or meaning of a story.

With dramatic irony, a writer illustrates that knowledge is always a work in progress. It reiterates that people rarely have all the answers in life and can easily be wrong when they don’t have the right information. By giving readers knowledge the characters do not have, dramatic irony keeps readers engaged in the story; they want to see if and when the characters learn this information.

Finally, situational irony is a statement on how random and unpredictable life can be. It showcases how things can change in the blink of an eye and in bigger ways than one ever anticipated. It also points out how humans are at the mercy of unexplained forces, be they spiritual, rational, or matters of pure chance.

Irony as a Function of Sarcasm and Satire

Satire and  sarcasm  often utilize irony to amplify the point made by the speaker.

Sarcasm is a rancorous or stinging expression that disparages or taunts its subject. Thus, it usually possesses a certain amount of irony. Because inflection conveys sarcasm more clearly, saying a sarcastic remark out loud helps make the true meaning known. If someone says “Boy, the weather sure is beautiful today” when it is dark and storming, they’re making a sarcastic remark. This statement is also an example of verbal irony because the speaker is saying something in direct opposition to reality. But an expression doesn’t necessarily need to be verbal to communicate its sarcastic nature. If the previous example appeared in a written work, the application of italics would emphasize to the reader that the speaker’s use of the word  beautiful  is suspect. To further clarify, the remark would closely precede or follow a description of the day’s unappealing weather.

Satire is an entire work that critiques the behavior of specific individuals, institutions, or societies through outsized humor. Satire normally possesses both irony and sarcasm to further underscore the illogicality or ridiculousness of the targeted subject. Satire has a long history in literature and popular culture. The first known satirical work, “The Satire of the Trades,” dates back to the second millennium BCE. It discusses a variety of trades in an exaggerated, negative light, while presenting the trade of writer as one of great honor and nobility.  Shakespeare  famously satirized the cultural and societal norms of his time in many of his plays. In 21st-century pop culture,  The Colbert Report  was a political satire show, in which host Stephen Colbert played an over-the-top conservative political commentator. By embodying the characteristics—including vocal qualities—and beliefs of a stereotypical pundit, Colbert skewered political norms through abundant use of verbal irony. This is also an example of situational irony, as the audience knew Colbert, in reality, disagreed with the kind of ideas he was espousing.

Uses of Irony in Popular Culture

Popular culture has countless examples of irony.

One of the most predominant, contemporary references, Alanis Morissette’s hit song “Ironic” generated much controversy and debate around what, exactly, constitutes irony. In the song, Morissette sings about a variety of unfortunate situations, like rainy weather on the day of a wedding, finding a fly floating in a class of wine, and a death row inmate being pardoned minutes after they were killed. Morissette follows these lines with the question, “Isn’t it ironic?” In reality, none of these situations is ironic, at least not according to the traditional meaning of the word. These situations are coincidental, frustrating, or plain bad luck, but they aren’t ironic. The intended meaning of these examples is not disparate from their actual meanings. For instance, another line claims that having “ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife” is ironic. This would only be ironic, if, say, the person being addressed made knives for a living. Morissette herself has acknowledged the debate and asserted that the song itself is ironic because none of the things she sings about are ironic at all.

Pixar/Disney’s movie  Monsters, Inc.  is an example of situational irony. In the world of this movie, monsters go into the human realm to scare children and harvest their screams. But, when a little girl enters the monster world, it’s revealed that the monsters are actually terrified of children. There are also moments of dramatic irony. As protagonist Sully and Mike try to hide the girl’s presence, she instigates many mishaps that amuse the audience because they know she’s there but other characters have no idea.

In the iconic television show  Breaking Bad , DEA agent Hank Schrader hunts for the elusive drug kingpin known as Heisenberg. But what Hank doesn’t know is that Heisenberg is really Walter White, Hank’s brother-in-law. This is a perfect example of dramatic irony because the viewers are aware of Walter’s secret identity from the moment he adopts it.

Examples of Irony in Literature

1. Jonathan Swift,  “A Modest Proposal”

Swift’s 1729 essay is a satire rich in verbal ironies. Under the guise of a serious adviser, Swift suggests a way that poor Irish communities can improve their lot in life: selling their children to rich people. He even goes a step further with his advice:

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.

Obviously, Swift does not intend for anyone to sell or eat children. He uses verbal ironies to illuminate class divisions, specifically many Britons’ attitudes toward the Irish and the way the wealthy disregard the needs of the poor.

2. William Shakespeare,  Titus Andronicus

This epic Shakespeare tragedy is brutal, bloody, farcical, and dramatically ironic. It concerns the savage revenge exacted by General Titus on those who wronged him. His plans for revenge involve Tamora, Queen of the Goths, who is exacting her own vengeance for the wrongs she feels her sons have suffered. The audience knows from the outset what these characters previously endured and thus understand the true motivations of Titus and Tamora.

In perhaps the most famous scene, and likely one of literature’s most wicked dramatic ironies, Titus slays Tamora’s two cherished sons, grinds them up, and bakes them into a pie. He then serves the pie to Tamora and all the guests attending a feast at his house. After revealing the truth, Titus kills Tamora—then the emperor’s son, Saturninus, kills Titus, then Titus’s son Lucius kills Saturninus and so on.

3. O. Henry,  “The Gift of the Magi”

In this short story, a young married couple is strapped for money and tries to come up with acceptable Christmas gifts to exchange. Della, the wife, sells her hair to get the money to buy her husband Jim a watchband. Jim, however, sells his watch to buy Della a set of combs. This is a poignant instance of situational irony, the meaning of which O. Henry accentuates by writing that, although “[e]ach sold the most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift for the other,” they were truly “the wise ones.” That final phrase compares the couple to the biblical Magi who brought gifts to baby Jesus, whose birthday anecdotally falls on Christmas Day.

4. Margaret Atwood,  The Handmaid’s Tale

Atwood’s dystopian novel takes place in a not-too-distant America. Now known as Gilead, it is an isolated and insular country run by a theocratic government. Since an epidemic left many women infertile, the government enslaves those still able to conceive and assigns them as handmaids to carry children for rich and powerful men. If a handmaid and a Commander conceive, the handmaid must give the child over to the care of the Commander and his wife. Then, the handmaid is reassigned to another “post.”

A primary character in the story is Serena Joy, a Commander’s wife. In one of the book’s many ironic instances, it is revealed that Serena, in her pre-Gilead days, was a fierce advocate for a more conservative society. Though she now has the society she fought for, women—even Commanders’ wives—have few rights. Thus, she ironically suffers from the very reforms she spearheaded.

Further Resources on Irony

The Writer  has  an article  about writing and understanding irony in fiction.

Penlighten ‘s detailed  list of irony examples  includes works mainly from classic literature.

Publishing Crawl  offers  five ways to incorporate dramatic irony into your writing .

Harvard Library has an in-depth breakdown of  the evolution of irony in postmodern literature .

TV Tropes  is  a comprehensive resource for irony  in everything from literature and anime to television and movies.

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What Is Irony?

Definition of "irony".

Table of Contents

The Three Types of Irony

(1) verbal irony, (2) dramatic irony, (3) situational irony, more examples of irony, why irony is important, video lesson.

• That's just what I needed. (i.e., It isn't.)
• I'm so glad it's raining. (i.e., I'm not.)

Formal Definition of Verbal Irony

• There's no evil witch here.

Formal Definition of Dramatic Irony

• Let's examine the words hyphenated and non-hyphenated .
• The most shoplifted book in America is the Bible.
• Your the best English teacher ever.

Formal Definition of Situational Irony

Example of verbal irony.

• "On a scale of 1 to 10, how old was Michael Jackson's boyfriend?" " Nice ."

Example of Dramatic Irony

• O my love, my wife! Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath hath had no power yet upon thy beauty. Thou art not conquered. Beauty's ensign yet is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks. (Romeo Montague from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet)

Examples of Situational Irony

• James Bellamy, who has campaigned for years against the Dangerous Dogs Act, was hospitalized after a vicious attack by his brother's dog.
• Mr Paul Jones arrived too late to chair a town-planning meeting due to the roads being grid locked with traffic.

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos .

How Ironic!

• The term "irony" covers far more than just situational irony.

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Irony: Understanding the Concept and Its Types

Irony is a literary device that has been used for centuries to add depth and complexity to literature. It is a technique that involves using language or situations to convey a meaning that is opposite or different from what is expected. Irony can be found in various forms of literature, including poetry, drama, and prose.

One form of irony is verbal irony, which is when a speaker says something but means the opposite. For example, saying “What a beautiful day” on a rainy day is verbal irony. Another form is situational irony, which occurs when the opposite of what is expected happens. For example, a fire station burning down is situational irony. Lastly, dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters do not, which creates tension and suspense.

Irony can be used for various purposes, such as to create humor, to criticize society or individuals, or to add depth and complexity to a story. It is a powerful tool that can be used to convey complex ideas and emotions in a subtle and nuanced way. Understanding the different forms and uses of irony can help readers appreciate and analyze literature more deeply.

Irony Definition

Dictionary Meaning

Irony is a literary device or event in which what appears to be the case is actually very different from what is expected. It is a form of expression that is characterized by a discrepancy between what is said and what is meant. Irony can be humorous, sarcastic, or even tragic, and it is often used to convey a deeper meaning or message in a work of literature.

The word “irony” comes from the Greek word “eironeia,” which means “dissimulation” or “feigned ignorance.” The term was first used in ancient Greek literature to describe the technique of Socrates, who would pretend to be ignorant in order to expose the ignorance of his opponents. The use of irony as a literary device can be traced back to ancient Greek drama, where it was used to create dramatic tension and to convey a sense of tragic inevitability.

‘Eiron’

In Greek literature, the term “eiron” referred to a character who pretended to be less intelligent than he actually was in order to gain an advantage over his opponents. This character type was often used in ancient Greek comedy, where he would use his wit and cunning to outsmart his rivals. The term “eiron” is related to the word “irony” in that both refer to the use of deception or feigned ignorance in order to achieve a desired outcome.

The history of irony is long and complex, and the term has evolved over time to encompass a wide range of literary techniques and devices. Today, irony is a fundamental part of literature and is used in a variety of different genres, from comedy to tragedy to satire.

Irony Examples

Irony is a literary device that is used to convey a meaning that is opposite to its literal meaning. It is a powerful tool that can be used to create humor, add depth to characters, and convey complex ideas. Here are some examples of irony that you may encounter in literature, movies, and real life:

• Verbal Irony: This type of irony occurs when a speaker says something but means the opposite. For example, when someone says “Oh, great!” after something bad happens, they are using verbal irony. Other examples of verbal irony include sarcasm, understatement, and overstatement.
• Dramatic Irony: This type of irony occurs when the audience knows something that the characters in the story do not. For example, in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet is not really dead, but Romeo does not. This creates tension and suspense and adds depth to the characters.
• Situational Irony: This type of irony occurs when the opposite of what is expected happens. For example, when a fire station burns down, or when a police officer gets arrested for stealing.
• Socratic Irony: This type of irony is named after the philosopher Socrates, who used it to make people question their beliefs. Socratic irony occurs when someone pretends to be ignorant in order to get someone else to explain something to them. This can be seen in the Socratic method of teaching, where a teacher asks a series of questions to lead the student to a conclusion.

Irony is a powerful tool that can be used to convey complex ideas, create humor, and add depth to characters. By using irony, writers can create a deeper understanding of the world around us and the people in it.

Types of Irony

Irony is a literary technique used to convey a meaning that is opposite of its literal sense. There are various types of irony used in literature, each with its own unique definition and purpose. In this section, we will discuss the different types of irony in detail.

Verbal Irony

Verbal irony is when a speaker says something but means the opposite. It is often used to create humor or sarcasm. For example, when someone says “Great job!” to someone who just failed a test, it is an example of verbal irony.

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters in the story do not. It is used to create tension and suspense in the plot. For example, in the play Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet is not really dead, but Romeo thinks she is and kills himself.

Situational Irony

Situational irony is when the opposite of what is expected happens. It is used to create a sense of surprise or shock in the reader. For example, when a fire station burns down, it is an example of situational irony.

Tragic Irony

Tragic irony is a type of dramatic irony that is used in tragedies. It occurs when the audience knows that a character is headed towards disaster, but the character does not. It is used to create a sense of foreboding and tragedy in the plot. For example, in the play Oedipus Rex, the audience knows that Oedipus is actually the murderer he is searching for, but he does not.

Socratic Irony

Socratic irony is a type of verbal irony that is used in philosophical discussions. It occurs when a speaker pretends to be ignorant in order to make their opponent reveal their own ignorance. It is used to expose flaws in an argument and promote critical thinking. For example, when Socrates asks his students questions to make them think about their beliefs, it is an example of Socratic irony.

In conclusion, there are various types of irony used in literature, each with its own unique definition and purpose. Verbal irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, tragic irony, and Socratic irony are some of the most commonly used types. Understanding the different types of irony can help readers appreciate the complexity and depth of literary works.

Irony in Literature

Irony as a literary device.

Irony is a powerful literary device that authors use to create a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. It is a tool that allows writers to convey meaning and create tension in their works. There are three types of irony: verbal, dramatic, and situational.

Verbal irony is when someone says something but means the opposite. It is often used for humor or sarcasm. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters do not, which creates tension and suspense. Situational irony is when the opposite of what is expected happens.

Famous Examples in Literature

One of the most famous examples of irony in literature is “ The Gift of the Magi ” by O. Henry. In this short story, a young couple sacrifices their most prized possessions to buy each other Christmas gifts, only to find out that their gifts are useless without the possessions they gave up.

Another classic example of irony in literature is “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles. In this play, Oedipus tries to avoid his fate of killing his father and marrying his mother, but his actions actually lead him to fulfill the prophecy.

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is also a well-known example of situational irony. In this short story, the narrator lures his enemy into a wine cellar to exact his revenge, but ends up getting trapped and buried alive himself.

Irony is a powerful tool that authors use to create meaning and tension in their works. These famous examples of irony in literature demonstrate how effective this literary device can be in conveying complex ideas and creating memorable stories.

Irony in Other Forms of Art

Irony in visual arts.

Irony is often used in visual arts to create a contrast between the expected and the actual. It can be used to question the norms and values of society, or to highlight the absurdity of certain situations. One famous example is the painting “The Treachery of Images” by René Magritte, which depicts a pipe with the caption “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (This is not a pipe). The painting challenges the viewer’s perception of reality and the relationship between words and images.

Another example of irony in visual arts is the work of Banksy, a British street artist known for his satirical and politically charged graffiti. Banksy’s art often features ironic juxtapositions, such as a child holding a machine gun or a rat wearing a gas mask, to comment on social and political issues.

Irony in Music

Irony can also be found in music, where it is often used to subvert expectations or to comment on the music industry itself. One example is the song “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette, which is famous for its use of situational irony. The song’s lyrics describe a series of unfortunate events that are not actually ironic, but rather just unfortunate.

Another example is the band Radiohead, whose music often features ironic lyrics and themes. The song “Creep” is a prime example, with its ironic portrayal of a self-loathing protagonist who is simultaneously desperate for attention and ashamed of his own desires.

Overall, irony is a powerful tool that artists use to challenge and subvert expectations, to comment on social and political issues, and to create a sense of ambiguity and complexity in their work.

Understanding Irony

Irony is a literary device that expresses a contradiction between what is expected and what actually happens. It is often used for humorous or emphatic effect. There are three types of irony: verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. Each type of irony is distinct and has its own specific definition.

Irony versus Sarcasm

Irony and sarcasm are often confused, but they are not the same thing. Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony that is used to mock or ridicule something. It is often used in a negative way and can be hurtful. Irony, on the other hand, is not necessarily negative. It can be used to create a humorous effect or to emphasize a point.

Irony and Wit

Irony and wit are often used together. Wit is a form of cleverness that is used to create humor or to make a point. Irony can be used to add depth to wit. For example, a witty comment that is also ironic can be more effective than a witty comment that is not ironic.

Irony and Ridicule

Irony can also be used to ridicule something or someone. This is often done in a humorous way, but it can also be hurtful. It is important to use irony responsibly and to consider the impact it may have on others.

In conclusion, understanding irony is important for anyone who wants to appreciate literature or use language effectively. By understanding the different types of irony and how they are used, individuals can become more confident and knowledgeable in their communication.

Irony in Everyday Life

Irony is not just confined to literature or movies. It is a part of everyday life, and people experience it all the time. In this section, we will explore some examples of irony in everyday life.

Irony in Public Figures

Public figures, such as celebrities, politicians, and athletes, are often the subject of irony. For example, a politician who campaigns on a platform of honesty and transparency may later be caught lying to the public. Similarly, a celebrity who advocates for a healthy lifestyle may be caught indulging in unhealthy habits.

Irony in public figures can be humorous, but it can also be a cause for concern. When public figures fail to live up to their own standards, it can lead to a loss of trust and credibility.

Irony in Political Situations

Politics is rife with irony. For example, a politician who campaigns on a platform of fiscal responsibility may later be caught misusing public funds. Similarly, a political party that advocates for individual freedom may pass laws that restrict personal liberties.

Irony in political situations can be frustrating, but it can also be a powerful tool for social commentary. By highlighting the contradictions and hypocrisies in political discourse, irony can help to expose the flaws in the system and inspire change.

In conclusion, irony is a part of everyday life, and it can be found in a variety of contexts, from public figures to political situations. While irony can be humorous, it can also be a cause for concern or a tool for social commentary. By recognizing and understanding irony, people can gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.

The Role of Irony

Irony is a literary device that has been used for centuries to convey a message in a subtle and often humorous way. It is a powerful tool that can be used to create a sense of complicity between the author and the reader. In this section, we will explore the various roles that irony can play in literature.

Irony and Humor

One of the most common roles that irony plays in literature is to evoke humor. Irony often creates a sense of surprise or unexpectedness, which can be humorous. For example, in Oscar Wilde’s play “The Importance of Being Earnest,” the character Algernon says, “I love talking about nothing, father. It is the only thing I know anything about.” This statement is ironic because Algernon is actually a very witty and intelligent character, and his statement is clearly untrue.

Irony as a Form of Mockery

Another role that irony can play in literature is as a form of mockery. Irony can be used to criticize or ridicule a person or idea. For example, in Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” the author suggests that the poor should sell their children as food for the rich. This proposal is clearly ironic and is meant to criticize the way that the poor are treated in society.

Irony and Satire

Finally, irony can also be used as a tool for satire. Satire is a literary genre that uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize and expose the flaws of society. Irony can be used to create a sense of distance between the author and the subject of the satire. For example, in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” the pigs who take over the farm are initially seen as heroes. However, as the story progresses, the pigs become more and more corrupt, and their actions become more and more ironic.

In conclusion, irony is a powerful tool that can be used to convey a message in a subtle and often humorous way. It can be used to evoke humor, criticize or ridicule, and as a tool for satire. By using irony effectively, authors can create a sense of complicity between themselves and the reader, and convey their message in a way that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Irony in Health and Wellness

Irony can play a role in the world of health and wellness. Here are a few examples:

• The Paradox of Choice : While having a variety of options for health and wellness products and services can be empowering, it can also lead to decision fatigue and analysis paralysis. Too many options can make it difficult to make a decision, and people may end up not making any changes at all.
• The Health Halo Effect : This occurs when people overestimate the healthiness of a product based on a few positive attributes, such as being organic or low-fat. This can lead people to consume more of these products, thinking they are making a healthier choice, when in reality they may not be.
• The Irony of Obsessive Health : While striving for optimal health is important, it is possible to take it too far. Orthorexia, or an obsession with healthy eating, can lead to a restrictive diet that may actually harm a person’s health. Similarly, over-exercising or obsessing over fitness goals can lead to burnout and injury.
• The Placebo Effect : The placebo effect is the phenomenon where a person experiences a positive effect from a treatment that has no active ingredients. This can occur when a person believes a treatment will work, even if it is a sugar pill or a sham procedure. While the placebo effect can be powerful, it is important to note that it is not a substitute for evidence-based medicine.

Overall, while irony can play a role in health and wellness, it is important to approach it with a critical eye and to prioritize evidence-based practices.

In conclusion, Irony is a literary device that uses language to convey a meaning opposite to its literal meaning. It is often used in literature to create humor, emphasize a point, or to express a contradiction.

There are three main types of irony: verbal, situational, and dramatic. Verbal irony is when someone says something but means the opposite. Situational irony is when something happens that is the opposite of what was expected. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the character does not.

Irony is often used to create a memorable effect. It can be used to help readers remember important points, or to make them think more deeply about a subject. Irony is also used to create a sense of surprise or shock, and to make readers forget their assumptions about a character or situation.

Overall, Irony is an important tool for writers and readers alike. It helps to create memorable stories, and to make readers think more deeply about the world around them. By understanding the different types of irony, readers can better appreciate the nuances of literature and the complex ways in which authors convey meaning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a simple definition of irony?

Irony is a literary or rhetorical device that uses words to express the opposite of their literal meaning. It is a technique used to create humor, emphasize a point, or convey a message. Irony can also be used to express a contradiction between what is expected and what actually happens.

What are 5 examples of irony?

• A fire station burning down
• A pilot afraid of heights
• A dentist with bad teeth
• A teacher failing a test
• A traffic jam on the way to a protest against traffic congestion

Why is irony called irony?

Irony is called irony because it is a rhetorical device that expresses the opposite of its intended meaning. The word “irony” comes from the Greek word “eironeia,” which means “dissimulation” or “feigned ignorance.”

What are the three main types of irony with examples?

The three main types of irony are:

• Verbal irony: The use of words to express the opposite of their literal meaning. Example: “I just love being stuck in traffic.”
• Dramatic irony: When the audience knows something that the characters do not. Example: In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows that Juliet is not really dead, but Romeo does not.
• Situational irony: When the opposite of what is expected happens. Example: A fire station burning down.

What are some common misconceptions about irony?

One common misconception about irony is that it is always humorous. While irony can be used to create humor, it can also be used to convey a serious message. Another misconception is that irony is always intentional. Irony can be intentional or unintentional.

How is irony used in literature and film?

Irony is a common literary device used in literature and film to create tension, suspense, and humor. It can be used to convey a deeper meaning or message, or to highlight a character’s flaws or weaknesses. Irony can also be used to create a sense of dramatic irony, where the audience knows something that the characters do not.

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Irony in Advertising 📺

• Burger King’s “Have it Your Way” campaign — This campaign was ironic because Burger King was encouraging customers to customize their orders, while at the same time, the company was not allowing its employees to customize their own work schedules.
• KFC’s “Finger Lickin’ Good” campaign — This campaign was ironic because KFC was encouraging customers to enjoy their food, while at the same time, the company was not providing its employees with adequate safety measures to protect them from the dangers of working with hot oil.
• Apple’s “Think Different” campaign — This campaign was ironic because Apple was encouraging customers to think differently, while at the same time, the company was not allowing its employees to think differently.

Related literary devices 👥

• Satire — Both a genre and a literary device, satire is often confused with irony because this type of writing is heavily dependent on irony, and oftentimes, sarcasm. Examples of satire include: A Modest Proposal by Jonathon Swift and the more modern newspaper article, “Want to end school shootings? Let’s just arm the kids.” by controversial journalist Allen Kerr.

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Irony: definition, types, and examples

Holly Stanley

“That’s so ironic!” We’ve all probably uttered these words at some point. In fact, you probably hear “isn’t it ironic?” all the time. Irony is one of the English language’s most misused and abused words. 

Irony has become synonymous with coincidence, bad luck, and pleasant surprises. But most things in life aren’t ironic . 

So if coincidences, bad luck, and unusual situations aren’t, what is ironic ? Let’s track down the misused word and uncover what situations it pertains to. 

Irony definition

The use of irony shows the contrast or incongruity between how things appear and how they are in reality. The remark “how ironic” indicates a meaning that’s the opposite of its precise meaning. 

In an ironic phrase, one thing is said, while another thing is meant. For example, if it were a cold, rainy gray day, you might say, “What a beautiful day!” Or, alternatively, if you were suffering from a bad bout of food poisoning, you might say, “Wow, I feel great today.”

These are both examples of irony –– verbal irony, to be precise –– the most frequently used type of irony (more on that later.)

Where does the word irony come from? 

Looking at irony’s origins can help with understanding how to best use the word. The word irony comes from the Latin ironia , meaning “feigned ignorance,” and previously from the Greek eironeia . Eiron, a Greek comic, was an intelligent underdog who used his wit to triumph over the egotistical character Alazon.

Since irony describes an outcome that contrasts with the originally expected results, you’ll see that writers generally use irony to build tension, create humor, or as a plot twist. 

When is something not ironic? 

When pinpointing the definition of irony , it can be helpful to look at when situations are incorrectly labeled as ironic . Irony is often used as a synonym for a caustic remark, something that’s interesting, or sarcastic.

What about the song Ironic ? 

Even singer Alanis Morissette got the definition wrong in her hit 1995 single “Ironic.” In fact, the criticism of her song was so strong, she had to clarify that she wasn’t technically trying to say that every line of the song was ironic.

Let’s take a closer look at Morissette’s timeless song lyrics:

It’s like rain on your wedding day,

It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid,

It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take.

While it could be considered bad luck, rain on a wedding day isn’t ironic , since it’s not as though it’s a given that every wedding day will have perfect sunny weather.

In a similar vein, a free ride when you’ve already paid or not taking good advice isn’t ironic either. The former is unusual and the latter is something that’s interesting.

Types of irony

To help you better understand irony and how to use it in your writing, we’ll dive into five different types.

Verbal irony 

Verbal irony is when the intended meaning of a phrase is the opposite of what is meant. It’s a figure of speech used to emphasize the contrast in meanings. It’s often used as a way of injecting witty humor into someone’s speech or writing. 

There are many English expressions that epitomize verbal irony. Here are a few:

•  “Fat chance!”

•  “Clear as mud”

•  “As soft as concrete”

Verbal irony works best as a literary technique when the reader already knows the initial concepts. For instance, it’s common knowledge that concrete is hard, and mud is opaque.

As you might imagine, an ironic understatement creates contrast by undermining the impact of something, despite the subject itself being quite severe. 

In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye , the character Holden Caulfield says, “I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.”

Of course, having a brain tumor is a serious health issue, which Holden downplays in this excerpt. 

Alternatively, an ironic overstatement makes something insignificant sound like a bigger deal than it is to highlight how minor it is. Statements like these are figurative language and are the opposite of their literal meaning.

Say you go for a job interview, but it’s a trainwreck because you spill coffee on your brand-new suit, are 20 minutes late, and forget the interviewer’s name. Your partner asks you how it went and you say, “Aced it, best interview of my life” –– that’s an ironic overstatement.

If verbal irony sounds like it’s pretty familiar, it’s because sarcasm is actually a form of verbal irony (more on that later.) 

Dramatic irony 

A favorite in many famous movies and books, dramatic irony is a literary device where the reader or spectator knows critical information but the characters don’t. 

One of the most famous examples of literary dramatic irony is in O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi.” A recently married couple chooses independently to sacrifice and sell what means most to them to buy a Christmas gift for the other. 

But in a twist of fate, the gifts they receive from each other are meant for the prized possessions they just sold. Although their sacrifices show the love they have for one another, the gifts they receive are actually useless.

Dramatic irony is a staple in horror movies. For example, the main character hides under the bed where the killer is hiding (the audience knows the killer is there but the protagonist doesn’t.) This form of irony is a great way of keeping the audience on the edge of their seats and building tension. 

Tragic irony 

In tragic irony, a subset of dramatic irony, the words, and actions of the characters contradict reality, often in a tragic or devastating way, which the readers or spectators realize.

Tragic irony came to define many ancient Greek tragedies. For instance, in Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex,” the audience can see what Oedipus is blind to: he’s actually killing his own father. 

William Shakespeare was also a fan of using tragic irony to keep the audience gripped to a compelling, often sorrowful plotline. In Romeo and Juliet , when Romeo is alerted of Juliet’s death, he assumes the tragic news to be true. 

But the audience knows that Juliet has, in fact, just faked her death with the help of a potion. Romeo, on the other hand, thinks Juliet is dead and, as a result, commits suicide.

Socratic irony  

Socratic irony gets its name from the moral philosopher Socrates, who would often fake ignorance to reveal someone’s misconstrued assumptions. It’s one of the more manipulative types of irony and is one way of getting information out of someone that can then be used against them later. 

You might recognize socratic irony in courtroom scenes from legal dramas like Suits . Lawyers often use rhetorical tricks, like socratic irony , to get someone to confess or admit something. 

Socratic irony is also perfect for comedies, too. In a classic scene from the American comedy T he Office , Michael knows that Dwight lied about going to the dentist. When Dwight returns, Michael goes for some rather ineffective rhetorical questioning to try and catch Dwight out. 

Situational irony 

Situational irony or the “irony of events” is when the reality contradicts an expected outcome. 

In movies and literature, situational irony ensures things are unpredictable and interesting. After all, it’d be dull if the plot turned out exactly how we expected every time. It’s not how life or fictional storytelling works. 

With situational irony, we learn at the same time as the characters that our expectations are different from reality.

For example in American Psycho , Patrick Bateman confesses to committing a string of murders but is laughed off. We anticipate that he’ll be punished for his crimes, but he isn’t, making it a perfect example of situational irony.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is another story full of examples of situational irony. Dorothy longs to go home and fulfills the wizard’s demanding list of tasks only to find out she had the ability to return home all along. The lion who appears to be a coward is actually courageous and the scarecrow who wants to be intelligent is actually a genius.

Situational irony is linked to the concept of cosmic irony –– when the universe or gods seemingly conspire for an event for its own amusement. 

Cosmic irony is a subcategory of situational irony but is defined by the inclusion of a supernatural element. There’s still a situation where the reality and expectation are different but there is another element involved –– a higher power if you will. This could be god, the universe, or fate. 

Remember that the “irony of events” isn’t the same as a coincidence or plain bad luck. 

What’s the difference between irony and sarcasm?

Ah, “sarcasm the lowest form of wit” as the writer, Oscar Wilde, once said. While Wilde wasn’t a fan, a sarcastic jibe here and there isn’t always bad news.

People often mix up irony and sarcasm. As we touched on briefly above, sarcasm is actually a type of irony. 

So the difference between sarcasm and irony is pretty small and nuanced. Once you’re clear on how sarcasm fits into irony, you won’t find yourself identifying sarcasm as irony again.

In its simplest form, irony refers to situations where the outcome is the opposite of what you or the reader expect. 

If a prediction is black, then the outcome would be white. Not off-white or gray, it would have to be totally the opposite of black. 

Sarcasm, on the other hand, is a form of expression that’s generally pointed at a person with the objective of criticizing or denigrating someone. Sarcasm is usually insincere speech and can have a condescending tone to it, with the purpose of insulting or embarrassing someone. 

Let’s take a look at both verbal irony and sarcasm side by side:

Verbal irony — Wife saying, “What a beautiful stormy day for a swim.”

Sarcasm —  Husband saying to the same wife, “The middle of the hurricane season was a great time for a vacation out here.” 

See how with verbal irony, it’s ironic because the weather isn’t beautiful for swimming. Instead, the opposite is true –– it’s unpleasant and sometimes dangerous to swim during a storm. 

But sarcasm is making a sneering comment about choosing to go on vacation in the middle of hurricane season. When you see the two statements together, it’s easier to see how they differ from one another. 

Let’s look at some more sarcasm examples:

•  After someone tells a boring or never-ending story: “That’s so fascinating.”

•  After failing your driving test: “Well, that went well.” 

•  Self-deprecating: “ Dinner is burned, I’m such a great chef. ”

To easily differentiate between sarcasm and irony, remember that irony applies to situations while sarcasm is a form of expression. In a way, sarcasm is like irony dressed up with a sassy attitude.

Key takeaways: irony

So, that’s a wrap. Irony isn’t all that difficult to wrap your head around when you know what to look for. Ultimately, irony is just the use of words to express something that’s the opposite of the literal meaning.

When used correctly, irony helps you inject humor and wit into your writing while keeping things interesting and unexpected for the reader. 

Looking to make your writing more engaging? Try a free trial with Writer today. 

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Irony Examples: Figure of Speech For Students

admin February 28, 2019 Figures of Speech 5,296 Views

Irony Examples:

Ironical statements.

• One of the identical twins says to the other, “You’re ugly!”
• I saw a fish drowning.
• Many things can be preserved in alcohol. Dignity is not one of them.
• Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.
• Marriage is the leading cause of divorce
• I have been down so long, it looks like up to me.

Coincidental Ironies

• Britain’s biggest dog was named Tiny.
• Two marriage therapists got divorced from each other.
• Most tobacco company executives don’t smoke.
• Titanic, which was touted as “100% unsinkable”, sank on its maiden voyage.
• The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.
• A ninety-eight year old man won the lottery and died the next day.
• My friend, who is an incredibly successful artist and writer, often has dreams that are bland and dull.
• A class on prophecy at a church was postponed due to some unforeseen circumstance
• Do you know that fear for a long word is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedalio phobia?
• Hitler ‘s Grandmother was Jewish.
• The only reason there are evil people in the world is because there are good people in the world.
• A man died in his living room!
• Canada is owned by Britain, yet half the people there speak French.
• Coffee City is a city in Texas, mostly visited to buy beer.
• My family owns a dairy, I work at a frozen yogurt shop and I just found out I’m lactose intolerant.
• The world’s largest ice cream cone is made by a factory called ‘Tiny Dairies’!
• The owner of a butcher shop is a vegetarian!
• A restaurant called “Hard Times Cafe” has closed down because of the recession!
• The water vendor died of thirst!
• A restaurant with the name “Firewood Cafe” was actually on fire!
• The dictionary entry for “short” is really, really long!
• The only word that you spelled right in this spelling test is “illiterate”.
• “Stand by your Man” is one of the biggest hit songs sung by Tammy Wynette’s who has been married six times in her real life.
• Do you know that there is a song about the phobia of music?
• The White House isn’t white.
• I put on an outfit in the morning and didn’t like it, after spending an hour trying on other clothes, I ended up trying back on the same outfit I started with and wore it for the day.
• A seminar on Global Warming was cancelled due to snow.
• An obese teacher is teaching the class about healthy food or physical exercise!
• A class on “planning and scheduling” was cancelled due to poor planning.
• An atheist sues for religious discrimination

Situational Irony

• Posting a video about how boring and useless Facebook is on Facebook.
• My friend said he can’t go to church because he has a theology test to study for!
• The firehouse burns down.
• The police station was robbed.
• The teacher failed the test.
• The student who didn’t study passed the test.
• The marriage counselor gets a divorce
• “Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.”
• A girl was going on about how she wouldn’t hurt animals when I noticed she was wearing a leather belt.
• He is a pilot but, is afraid of heights.

Irony Examples In Literature

• “Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honorable man” – Julius Caesar.
• Romeo returns to Verona and he finds Juliet drugged, in a death-like sleep. He assumes she is dead and kills himself. When Juliet wakes up and finds him dead, she kills herself with his knife – Romeo and Juliet.
• Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451 is consistently on the top 100 list of banned books in the US .

Ironical News

• Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, the self-styled “eternal revolutionary”, who took power in a coup 42 years ago, is himself being deposed in a revolution.
• A Harvard University fellow, who was studying ethics, was charged with hacking into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s computer network to steal nearly 5 million academic articles.

Being a part of speech used on a regular basis, ironies are familiar to many of us. Of course, we never look into whether the usage is correct or not, but it is always better to learn about the different kinds of ironies and their usages. It is very important as there are chances that sometimes you may even get confused with much similar concept of sarcasm. Though both irony and sarcasm appear to be overlapping, both of them are totally different concepts. Hope the examples given in this article helped you to understand the concept ‘irony’ better.

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10 Irony Examples in Shakespeare

Irony in Shakespearean literature reveals the unexpected and is highly valued. William Shakespeare masterfully employed three different types of irony : dramatic, verbal, and situational, each lending its own distinctive taste to his literary works. Shakespeare often uses dramatic irony to give the audience more information than the characters. The twist reveals secrets to the readers, not the characters. Shakespeare uses verbal irony as a creative weapon. It flips the literal meaning of words. Speakers intend one thing but say another, resulting in amusing or thought-provoking outcomes. Situational irony in Shakespearean literature is when expected outcomes contradict unforeseen consequences. The plot ’s twists defy expectations and keep us enthralled in Shakespeare’s world. Here are some excerpts from Shakespeare’s renowned works.

Examples of Irony in Shakespearean Literature

Duncan is in his grave. After life’s fitful fever he sleeps well. Treason has done his worst; nor steel nor poison, Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing Can touch him further.

Macbeth ’s secret intentions are revealed through dramatic irony as he considers Duncan’s death. Duncan is unaware and resting while Macbeth struggles internally. The audience has the key to the plot and they see the tragedy unfold. Macbeth’s soliloquy reveals his inner conflicts and foreshadows his treacherous path.

The Tempest

O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world , That has such people in’t!

In this example, Miranda’s exclamation, “O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here!” highlights dramatic irony. She admires new arrivals on the island, seeing them as good and beautiful. The newcomers are the opposite of good, which is ironic.

Romeo and Juliet

For fear of that, I still will stay with thee, And never from this palace of dim night Depart again. Here, here will I remain With worms that are thy chamber maids.

The tragic finale in the above example is marked by dramatic irony. The audience knows both lovers are alive, yet Romeo and Juliet, unaware of each other’s survival, choose to end their lives with poison. The story ’s beginning as a romantic tale gives way to a devastating irony, which establishes it as a timeless illustration of tragic irony.

I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft

The audience is captivated by the interesting web of dramatic irony in Hamlet . Hamlet, feigning madness, is the only one who knows that the king is dead. The audience understands his complex plan, creating dramatic irony in the play .

A little more than kin, and less than kind.

Here, Shakespeare masterfully employs irony from the very beginning. Hamlet’s first words artfully capture the irony of his situation. The audience instantly understands that his uncle is now both stepfather and regicide. The clever wordplay captivates the audience from the story’s beginning.

The Winter ’s Tale

Is whispering nothing? Is leaning cheek to cheek? is meeting noses? Kissing with inside lip? stopping the career Of laughing with a sigh?

The example above shows irony through King Leontes’ baseless suspicions of his wife and friend’s infidelity. Hermione’s innocence is known to the audience, intensifying the king’s unwarranted accusations. Dramatic irony highlights tragic effects of suspicion.

Julius Caesar

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; and Brutus is an honorable man

In the above lines, the repetition of “Brutus is an honorable man” serves as a brilliant example of verbal irony. Brutus’ actions contradict his claim of honor. The ironic refrain serves to emphasize the stark contrast between his professed integrity and the morally complex decisions he takes, contributing to the depth of the drama .

The Merchant Of Venice

I never knew so young a body with so old a head.

Dramatic Irony occurs in Act 4, Scene 1 when Portia disguises herself as a young lawyer named Balthazar. The audience knows, but not the court. Doctor Bellario’s words about her youthful looks and wise mind set the stage for an intriguing twist.

Taming Of The Shrew

Here’s no knavery. See, to beguile the old folks, how the young folks lay their heads together!

A web of comedic irony is present in Act 1, Scene 2. Hortensio’s disguise scheme to win Bianca is met with Grumio’s irony. Grumio is unaware that Lucentio is also deceiving to woo Bianca. The play’s humor is set by the double irony that highlights the absurdity of courtly love ideals.

Antony and Cleopatra

Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch Of the ranged empire fall!

The narrative of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ is woven with irony. Antony considers letting Rome crumble for love, but becomes reluctant to give up his empire. The irony highlights the play’s central theme , the conflict between duty and passion, and adds depth to the character ’s struggles.

Example #10

Much Ado about Nothing

“Will you not tell me who you are?” asks Beatrice, “No, you shall pardon me” he replies.

In this example, Shakespeare masterfully employs dramatic irony. Beatrice recognizes Benedick’s voice when she asks about the masked man’s identity. They hate each other, but hear about their hidden love, adding irony to their relationship.

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