SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
irony
noun
A contrast between appearance and reality or expectation and outcome; in speech, meaning different from the literal words.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Contrast of meaning or expectation
No close substitute is listed for this sense. The expressions below help explain the idea.
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topSarcasm uses irony or related devices to mock; irony can occur without ridicule or without a speaker.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See irony in use
The locked locksmith's shop provided a moment of irony in the story.
In one story, a machine advertised as a time saver required so much preparation that it delayed everyone's departure, creating irony through the gap between expectation and outcome.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license