Abstract
In Latin, ironia, and in Greek, eirōneia, stand for irony. The word is used in everyday speech and in philosophical treatises. In language it is listed as a figure of speech, but in philosophy its meaning is harder to fathom. As a working definition, we take irony to mean a pretense, ignorance, or falseness. Irony refers to many ideas—verbal irony, dramatic irony, situational irony, irony of fate, irony of satire, and Socratic irony. Verbal ironies are common in speech, such as when we say one thing but mean the opposite—for example, saying it is a nice day when it is actually raining heavily. Situational irony is also well known, such as in the saying that someone “killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.” We mention dramatic ironies as used in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and in Shakespeare’s dramas.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Copyright information
© 2014 Michael Szenberg and Lall Ramrattan
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Szenberg, M., Ramrattan, L. (2014). Definitions of Irony. In: Economic Ironies Throughout History. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137450821_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137450821_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-49711-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-45082-1
eBook Packages: Palgrave Economics & Finance CollectionEconomics and Finance (R0)