as in contradiction
a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of what is expected
We got a good chuckle seeing their tow truck being towed away, but our friends failed to see the irony.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of irony
The irony, though, is Connecticut has implemented regulations that effectively restrict EWA, which had become her lifeline, James said.
—
Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
In a bit of irony, New York’s governor plans to delay a special election to replace her, copying the decision by Gov. Ron DeSantis to wait 10 months before calling an election to replace the late Rep. Alcee Hastings.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025
With a sense of curiosity, irony, or perhaps plain spite, more than three million Americans created accounts on RedNote, a Chinese app likened to Instagram and known in China as Xiaohongshu.
—Mark Tseng-Putterman / Made By History, TIME, 10 Mar. 2025
Complaints about our inability to read, interpret, or discern irony, subtlety, and nuance are as old as art.
—Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irony
Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
In a bit of irony, New York’s governor plans to delay a special election to replace her, copying the decision by Gov. Ron DeSantis to wait 10 months before calling an election to replace the late Rep. Alcee Hastings.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025
With a sense of curiosity, irony, or perhaps plain spite, more than three million Americans created accounts on RedNote, a Chinese app likened to Instagram and known in China as Xiaohongshu.
—Mark Tseng-Putterman / Made By History, TIME, 10 Mar. 2025
Complaints about our inability to read, interpret, or discern irony, subtlety, and nuance are as old as art.
—Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irony
Noun
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Leaders today operate in an environment filled with ambiguity and contradictions.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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Avalanche terrain is a world of numerous variables, contradictions, and compounding human error.—
Ashley Thess,
Outdoor Life,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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While getting a little too liberal with his wife's lorazepam prescription, Timothy Ratliff, the secret-keeping patriarch on this season of the White Lotus, groggily joins his family while wearing just a robe — then accidentally flashes them all to their amusement and/or horror.—
Alexandra Schonfeld,
People.com,
13 Mar. 2025
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The hour unfolds through a big location, features dozens of extras, and its focus keeps shifting between the cops, the teachers, and various groups of students who are having wildly disparate responses to the murder, from overwhelming grief to juvenile amusement.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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His mounting anxiety, however, reflects a more personal, immediate paradox.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2025
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The corporate world operates on a paradox: the more successful an organization becomes, the more its leaders and employees seem to suffer.—
William Jones,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Pope Francis Reflects on Illness, Calls War 'Absurd' as Recovery Progresses Pope Francis said in a letter published Tuesday that his lengthy illness has given him greater clarity on the absurdity of war, renewing his call for diplomacy and stronger international institutions.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
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Her work is often the same, crackling with energy, honesty, and a sprinkle of absurdity.—
Heide Janssen,
Orange County Register,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But that incongruity becomes part of The Monkey’s strange sense of humor.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2025
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To me, their beauty derives in part from their incongruity with the sky’s naturally occurring features.—
Kate Folk,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Connotations of an easy dichotomy with perception are obvious and inappropriate.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
18 Feb. 2025
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That’s the dichotomy of someone underrated becoming a global icon.—
Marcus Thompson II,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irony. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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