I don't think it can be done.

At least...not in any obvious way which provides clarity as to what irony is.

Try it...try and write a definition for the word "Irony" without using a dictionary. Hell, even using a dictionary doesn't really give too much clarity. You get a definition like this:

"A pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other's false conceptions conspicuous by adroit questioning"

What the..??

We all know irony when we see it...but try defining the word for someone.

Can you do it??

Well, it's kinda like rain on your wedding day, ya know? Or a free ride when you've already paid.

Irony - made of Iron

This photo is extreme 'irony' at it's best.

Taureau said:

Byron said:

There ya go!


It's true though, irony is like the jazz of humour.

woah ...


i LOVE thought provoking threads !!


Hmmm ...

From the movie Con Air:

As bunch of men are dancing around to the song "Sweet Home Alabama",John Malcovich turns to another convict and says....

Define Irony. A bunch of idiots dancing around on a plane to a song made famous by a band who died in a plane crash.

I am a master of copy and paste

What is Irony?

In general, irony involves a contradiction between appearance and reality. In literature, irony is a deliberate gap between the language used and what is being discussed. Irony results when there is a difference in point of view between a character and the narrator or reader. There are four major types of irony: verbal, dramatic, situational, and cosmic.

Four Major Types of Irony:

1. Verbal Irony. Verbal irony refers to spoken words only. Verbal irony occurs when a character says one thing, but suggests or intends the opposite. The contrast is between what the speaker says and what he actually means. For example, in Julius Caesar, Mark Antony repeats the words "and Brutus is an honorable man" in the famous “Friends, Romans, countrymen” speech. Mark Antony’s meaning, however, is that Brutus is completely dishonorable because Brutus, Caesar’s best friend, joined the other conspirators and plunged a knife into Caesar’s chest.

Note: Verbal irony may be confused with sarcasm, but sarcasm is harsh and direct, while verbal irony is implied.

2. Dramatic Irony. Dramatic irony involves more than just spoken words. Dramatic irony occurs when the meaning intended by a character's words or actions is opposite of the true situation. The contrast is between what the character says, thinks, or does and the true situation. Further, the character cannot see or understand the contrast, but the audience or reader can. For example, in Othello, dramatic irony occurs when Othello refers to Iago as “honest Iago.” Unknown to Othello, Iago is a villain who deceives him into thinking that Desdemona (Othello’s wife) has been unfaithful. For this, Othello unjustly kills his wife, believing the whole time in Iago’s honesty.

Note the difference in examples for verbal and dramatic irony: Antony calls Brutus “honorable” and knows he is not honorable, while Othello calls Iago “honest” and does not know of Iago’s deceit.

3. Situational Irony. Situational irony defies logical cause/effect relationships and justifiable expectations. For example, if a greedy millionaire were to buy a lottery ticket and win additional millions, the irony would be situational because such a circumstance cannot be explained logically. Such a circumstance seems “unfair.” This sense of being “unfair” or “unfortunate” is a trademark of situational irony. Because people cannot explain the unfairness, it causes them to question whether or not the world makes sense.

4. Cosmic Irony (or Irony of Fate). Some irony goes beyond being unfair and is morally tragic. Such irony is often so severe that it causes people to question God and see the universe as hostile. For example, if an honest, hardworking, and generous person buys a lottery ticket and wins ten million dollars, only to die in an auto crash two days later, the irony would reach tragic proportions. When situational irony reaches this scale, it is often called cosmic irony or irony of fate. Such irony typically suggests that people are pawns to malicious forces.

Remember: In general, irony involves a contradiction between appearance and reality. In literature, irony is a deliberate gap between the language used and what is being discussed. Irony results when there is a difference in point of view between a character and the narrator or reader. There are four major types of irony: verbal, dramatic, situational, and cosmic.

jerseykrs said:

Lookit how much it took just to try and define "irony"...lol


I wonder which of those definitions this example would fall under:



(Gary Lawson: master of ironic humor )

Sweeny79 said:

Byron said:

This definition is crap.

Great thread though!

heartbeatocean said:

It's not. It's a mumbled definition of 'Socratic Irony', that which was used by Socrates during his conversations to disguise skepticism and weed out any irregularities he saw in the dogmas that were being proposed to him.

ReturnOfDOOK said:

I was going to say the EXACT same damned thing!!!

Irony is when the matchstick maker's shop burns down. Or a conveyor belt factory.

AsianBoi777 said:

ok Alanis 1and2

my defination would be.....my life

Lleena is a git: ironic. Because she really is a git.

IRONY: People who post about how much they hate pop music on a site that's dedicated to one of the biggest pop stars ever.


Fucking Classic!

Just a note for the Morrisette fans: Alanis' song, believe it or not, offered no incidents of irony (except, arguably, the guy who died in a plane crash). They were all mere coincidences.

Irony is usually explained as a "twist" in the story. It's when the reality of things change.

Example: Sixteen candles. There is an irony when mr hottie comes looking for Sam, but Dong tells mr hottie that Sam is getting married. A better example of irony is when Anthony Michael Hall spends all night trying to get laid, then wakes up to realize that he spent the night with the "hottest" gal in school. To further the irony, he doesn't even remember it happened.

Another example of Irony is the "live by the sword, die by the sword" variety. In _On the Waterfront_, we see a drunked dockworker killed by a falling crate full of whiskey bottles. That had a profound effect on the main character, and it changed the progression of the plot from then on.

Oddly enough, irony isn't just "Unfortunate Circumstances" or "Murphy's Law." In fact, I personally feel they are the worst examples of "situational" irony. They can be funny, but there is no TWIST to it.

Example: In _Office Space_, dude is in his car on his way to work. He's in a lane of traffic that is dead stop, while the lane to his left is moving along at a decent pace. He sees an opportunity to move over, he does, then that lane of traffic comes to an immediate stop while the lane he just left starts going. An elderly cruises by with a walker to highlight the humor.

That can be considered Ex Deus Machina, really. Things are going against him constantly in the introduction of the character in effort for us to accept his strange behaivor in the rest of the movie.

Now, REAL irony comes in when we find out that his girlfriend once slept with his boss. More of the Ex Deus Machina, but that realization TOTALLY changes the tone of the movie from that point.

Chico1 said:

Is that irony, or hypocrisy??..lol

METAL LEG = IRON KNEE

JusTinTimE said:

I don't think a groan exists that is loud enough to cover that joke...

Taureau said:

I'll accept that, but isn't it quite different than the "ironies" everyone else is talking about on this thread?

Dauphin said:

Which becomes a double irony when we find out at the end it's actually not his boss, just some dude with the same last name as his boss.

heartbeatocean said:

How is that ironic, though??...Does it take more than just a twist to be ironic??

Byron said:

Co-

From Reality Bites:

"It's when the actual meaning is the complete opposite from the literal meaning."


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