Irony
WordNet
noun
(1) Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
"The irony of Ireland's copying the nation she most hated"
(2) Witty language used to convey insults or scorn
"He used sarcasm to upset his opponent"
"Irony is wasted on the stupid"
"Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own"--Jonathan Swift
(3) A trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs
WiktionaryText
Etymology 1
First attested in 1502. From (perhaps via ), from from .
Noun
- A statement that, when taken in context, may actually mean the opposite of what is written literally; the use of words expressing something other than their literal intention, notably as a form of humor.
- The quality or state of an event being both coincidental and contradictory in a humorous or poignant and extremely improbable way.