iron-, ironi-
(Greek > Latin > Old French > French: pretended ignorance
)
From Greek eironeia to Latin ironia to Old French to French ironie which signified "deliberately pretending ignorance, particularly as a rhetorical device to get the better of one's opponent in an argument" and now has the main sense of "saying the opposite of what one really means".
ironic
1. Characterized by or constituting irony.
2. Given to the use of irony; sarcasm.
3. An outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.
ironical, ironically
1. Characterized by or constituting irony.
2. The use of irony; sarcastic, ironic, caustic, satirical, sardonic.
3. Contrary to what was expected or intended:
irony (s), ironies (pl)
1. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
2. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning. A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect.
3. Something that happens that is incongruous with what might be expected to happen; especially, when this seems absurd or laughable.
Irony differs from deception in that the ironist intends for the hearer to reconstruct his attitude from the ironic utterance. It has long been noted that ironic statements are frequently spoken with a marked intonation, often termed "the ironic tone of voice".
As stated earlier, irony is an expression of something which is contrary to the intended meaning; the words say one thing but mean something else. Here is a classical example of an ironic statement as seen in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar when Mark Antony ironically stated: "Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honorable man."
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