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1. Witty language used to convey insults or scorn, esp. saying one thing but implying the opposite
   "irony is wasted on the stupid";
   - sarcasm, satire, caustic remark
    
2. Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
   "the irony of Ireland's copying the nation she most hated"
    
3. A trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs

Derived forms: ironies

See also: sarcastic, unsarcastic

Type of: drollness, figure, figure of speech, humor [US], humour [Brit, Cdn], image, incongruity, incongruousness, trope, wit, witticism, wittiness

Encyclopedia: Irony