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1[edit]  First attested in 1502. From Latin īrōnīa (perhaps via
Middle French ironie), from Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία (eirōneia,
irony, pretext), from εἴρων (eirōn, one who feigns ignorance).
irony (countable and uncountable, plural ironies)    1. A
statement that, when taken in context, may actually mean
something different from, or the opposite of what is written
literally; the use of words expressing something other than
their literal intention, often in a humorous context.   2.
Dramatic irony: a theatrical effect in which the meaning of a
situation, or some incongruity in the plot, is understood by the
audience, but not by the characters in the play.   3. Ignorance
feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an
antagonist; Socratic irony.   4. (informal, sometimes
proscribed)[1][2] Contradiction between circumstances and
expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected.