Irony Definition Oxford English Dictionary
Irony is a subtle form of humour which involves saying things that you do not mean.
Irony definition oxford english dictionary. See the dictionary meaning pronunciation and sentence examples. 37 people chose this as the best definition of irony. Irony definition the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. Of like or containing i.
The intended meaning is not in the message itself. Meaning pronunciation picture example sentences grammar usage notes synonyms and more. Definition of irony noun in oxford advanced learner s dictionary. Heavy irony underlines her declaration that she had always wanted to be in the movies and longed to be discovered like marilyn monroe expressing yourself through irony is the way to go these days irony and metaphor as a form of irony is a way to understand how the english language is used.
Typically the expression of one s intended meaning through language which taken literally appears on the surface to express the opposite usually for humorous effect. The oed is the definitive record of the english language featuring 600 000 words 3 million quotations and over 1 000 years of english. The audience has to refer to context cues for instance nonverbal signals in order to interpret its modality status as literal ironic or a lie. The irony of her reply how nice when i said i had to work all weekend.