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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Recent Examples of irony
Meanwhile, Chrome users are left with the irony of a simultaneous good move on tracking cookies and bad move on fingerprinting.
—
Zak Doffman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
There’s an irony to the intentional disengagement: this time around, the wreckage of institutions is much more immediate, without the buffer of the first Administration’s conscientious objectors, and Trump’s barrage of distractions perhaps more consequential.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
There’s an irony to Ms. Mulvaney’s glorification of privacy after years of courting views and sponsorships by broadcasting daily updates about her personal life.
—Maggie Lange, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
The irony in this case is that WADA’s intervention is partly about precedent.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irony
Zak Doffman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
There’s an irony to the intentional disengagement: this time around, the wreckage of institutions is much more immediate, without the buffer of the first Administration’s conscientious objectors, and Trump’s barrage of distractions perhaps more consequential.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
There’s an irony to Ms. Mulvaney’s glorification of privacy after years of courting views and sponsorships by broadcasting daily updates about her personal life.
—Maggie Lange, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
The irony in this case is that WADA’s intervention is partly about precedent.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for irony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irony
Noun
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And at the heart of these contradictions is the constant tension over whether or not Meghan really wants to be royalty.—
Louis Staples,
Rolling Stone,
8 Mar. 2025
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Incisive writers about higher education have pointed out that the American university is a bundle of contradictions held in an uneasy balance that miraculously works.—
Nathan Heller,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Now proprietors are going after adults with concepts like Holey Moley and Punch Bowl Social, which combines eating and drinking with nostalgic amusements such as billiards, bowling, darts and arcade games.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2025
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The stark contrast between her daytime and nighttime behavior has only added to the amusement of viewers, many of whom have left lighthearted comments.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The paradox is striking many of those hardest hit by these policies reside in Republican strongholds.—
Aisha Nyandoro,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
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The paradox of economic pressure is that Washington enjoys a much greater degree of leverage over countries that are invested in a long-term alliance with it.—
Nicholas Mulder,
Foreign Affairs,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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An opening scene lays out the grotesque absurdity of the situation, as office manager Joy (Christiane Paul) delineates between culinary content and animal abuse in a meeting.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
9 Mar. 2025
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The recent launch of Donald Trump’s self-proclaimed $TRUMP meme coin, which appeared to be an attempt to capitalize on his second inauguration, only reinforced the absurdity of this trend.—
Becca Bratcher,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 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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Lower spoke with Variety about the pivotal episode, from the powerful moment that Helly reclaims her body to the complex dichotomy between her innie and outie characters.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2025
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Speaking on a panel devoted to French savior faire, Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode executive president Pascal Morand remarked on the dichotomy of the two seemingly divergent tracks at opposite ends of the Porte de Versailles convention center.—
Rhonda Richford,
WWD,
14 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to irony
Cite this Entry
“Irony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irony. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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