irony
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++i·ron·y /ˈaɪərəni $ ˈaɪrə-/ ●○○ noun (plural ironies) 1 STRANGEFUNNY[countable, uncountable] a situation that is unusual or amusing because something strange happens, or the opposite of what is expected happens or is true 具有讽刺意味[出乎意料，令人啼笑皆非]的情况 Life is full of little ironies. 生活中充满了小小的讽刺。tragic/cruel/bitter etc irony The tragic irony is that the drug was supposed to save lives. 可悲的讽刺在于，这药本来是用来挽救生命的。2 ALFUNNY[uncountable] when you use words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing 反语，反话trace/hint/touch of irony Wagner calls his program ‘the worst talk show in America, ’ without a hint of irony. 瓦格纳不带一丝讽刺，称他的节目是“美国最糟糕的访谈节目”。heavy irony British English (=a lot of irony) 辛辣的讽刺 ‘Of course Michael won’t be late; you know how punctual he always is, ’ she said with heavy irony. “当然，迈克尔不会迟到，你知道他一贯是多么守时。”她用强烈的讽刺口吻说道。► see thesaurus at language → sarcasm, dramatic irony
Examples from the Corpus
irony• And the bitterest irony of all was that he himself was a victim.• Perhaps the author is being satirical, employing irony, allegory, or ambiguity.• Life is full of ironies, some hilarious, some tragic.• Beneath the cynicism, beneath the irony, however, turmoil.• We thank Flaubert for picking it up; in a sense, the irony wasn't there until he observed it.• It is worth stressing the irony of the applicant's position.• The irony continued throughout its pages.• The irony of it is that he has the persistence to get somewhere.• The irony is that some of the poorest countries have the richest natural resources.• The irony of the situation was obvious -- if I told the truth, nobody would believe me!• Through irony and humor, James dilutes the seriousness of the novel.• The tragic irony is that the drug was supposed to save lives.The ... irony is that• The irony is that it achieved precisely what Ranieri had hoped: It made home mortgages look more like other bonds.• The irony is that Louis Farrakhan has to teach them to us.• The irony is that our very success seems to breed more extremism in the environmental community and greater detachment from reality.• The irony is that outside the church is a tramp.• The irony is that when parents' relationship suffer, kids know it and feel it.• The irony is that you can create the same look for a tenner down the market.• The horrible irony is that it is in that very surrender that community itself is founded.heavy irony• The intention is to curb the spread of package-tour baroque and heavy irony.Origin irony (1500-1600) Latin ironia, from Greek eironeia, from eiron “person who lies”i·ron·y nounChineseSyllable
that Corpus a unusual is or amusing situation because
irony
i‧ron‧y /ˈaɪərəni $ ˈaɪrə-/
noun (plural ironies)
Life is full of little ironies.
tragic/cruel/bitter etc irony
The tragic irony is that the drug was supposed to save lives.
2. [uncountable] when you use words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing
trace/hint/touch of irony
Wagner calls his program ‘the worst talk show in America,’ without a hint of irony.
heavy irony British English (=a lot of irony)
‘Of course Michael won’t be late; you know how punctual he always is,’ she said with heavy irony. ⇨ sarcasm, dramatic irony
■ techniques used in language
▪metaphor a way of describing something by referring to it as something different and suggesting that it has similar qualities to that thing: The beehive is a metaphor for human society.
▪simile an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words as or like, for example ‘as white as snow’: The poet uses the simile ‘soft like clay’.
▪irony the use of words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing: ‘I’m so happy to hear that,’ he said, with more than a trace of irony in his voice.
▪bathos a sudden change from a subject that is beautiful, moral, or serious to something that is ordinary, silly, or not important: The play is too sentimental and full of bathos.
▪hyperbole a way of describing something by saying that it is much bigger, smaller, worse etc than it actually is – used especially to excite people’s feelings: In his speeches, he used a lot of hyperbole. | journalistic hyperbole
▪alliteration the use of several words together that all begin with the same sound, in order to make a special effect, especially in poetry: the alliteration of the ‘s’ sound in ‘sweet birds sang softly’
▪imagery the use of words to describe ideas or actions in a way that makes the reader connect the ideas with pictures in their mind: the use of water imagery in Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ | She uses the imagery of a bird’s song to represent eternal hope.
▪rhetorical question a question that you ask as a way of making a statement, without expecting an answer: When he said ‘how can these attitudes still exist in a civilized society?’, he was asking a rhetorical question.
i‧ron‧y /ˈaɪərəni $ ˈaɪrə-/
noun (plural ironies) Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: ironia, from Greek eironeia, from eiron 'person who lies'
1. [uncountable and countable] a situation that is unusual or amusing because something strange happens, or the opposite of what is expected happens or is true:Language: Latin
Origin: ironia, from Greek eironeia, from eiron 'person who lies'
tragic/cruel/bitter etc irony
2. [uncountable] when you use words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing
trace/hint/touch of irony
heavy irony British English (=a lot of irony)
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