Words at Play : Big Words on Campus
Definition:
: the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning
Example:
"It is the oldest ironies that are still the most satisfying: man, when preparing for bloody war, will orate loudly and most eloquently in the name of peace." ― Alan Moore, Watchmen, published as a collection in 1987
About the Word:
Students study various forms of irony, ranging from dramatic irony to verbal irony. The word irony itself traces back to the Greek character Eiron, a comic underdog whose wit enabled him to triumph over the boastful Alazon.
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