irony

• n. 讽刺；反语；具有讽刺意味的事
• adj. 铁的；似铁的

来自拉丁语ironia,来自希腊语eiron,装糊涂，假装无知，可能来自eirein,说，言语，词源同verb,verbal.主要用于古希腊哲学家苏格拉底的哲学思想和辩证手法，苏格拉底在与人们辩论的时候，常常先承认自己的无知和对方观点的正确，然后通过举例来引起对方的思考并最终让对方承认自己的错误。由于这种假装无知的辩证手法，引申词义反讽，讽刺。

来自iron,铁。

1. 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"--Johathan Swift

2. incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs;

"the irony of Ireland's copying the nation she most hated"

3. a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs

irony

irony: [16] Irony has no etymological connection with iron. It comes via Latin īrōnia from Greek eirōneíā, which signified ‘deliberately pretending ignorance, particularly as a rhetorical device to get the better of one’s opponent in argument’. This was a derivative of eírōn ‘dissembler’, which in turn came from the verb eírein ‘say’. This original sense of ‘dissimulation’ survives in the expression Socratic irony, a reference to Socrates’ use of such feigned ignorance as a pedagogical method, but it has been overtaken as the main sense of the word by ‘saying the opposite of what one means’.

irony (n.)

c. 1500, from Latin ironia, from Greek eironeia "dissimulation, assumed ignorance," from eiron "dissembler," perhaps related to eirein "to speak" (see verb). Used in Greek of affected ignorance, especially that of Socrates. For nuances of usage, see humor. Figurative use for "condition opposite to what might be expected; contradictory circumstances" is from 1640s.

irony (adj.)

"of or resembling iron," late 14c., from iron (n.) + -y (2).

The irony is that for all the overexcited debate, the net effect of immigration is minimal.

出自-2011年6月阅读原文

What is the irony about the debate over immigration

出自-2011年6月阅读原文

But this seems to be the irony of office speak: Everyone makes fun of it, but managers love it, companies depend on it, and regular people willingly absorb it.

2015年考研真题（英语二）阅读理解 Section Ⅱ

This episode crystallizes the irony that although American men tend to talk more than women in public situations they often talk less at home.

2010年考研真题（英语二）阅读理解 Section Ⅱ

The irony is that when he finally got the job, he discovered he didn't like it.

讽刺的是，当他最终得到那份工作时，他发现自己并不喜欢它。

牛津词典

It was one of life's little ironies.

那是生活中的一个小小的嘲弄。

牛津词典

‘England is famous for its food, ’ she said with heavy irony .

“英格兰的食物很有名哪。”她极其讽刺地说道。

牛津词典

There was a note of irony in his voice.

他的声音里有一丝挖苦的味道。

牛津词典

She said it without a hint/trace of irony .

她说此话没有一点嘲讽之意。

牛津词典

They find only irony in the narrator's concern...

他们发现叙述者只是一味地嘲讽。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Sinclair examined the closed, clever face for any hint of irony, but found none.

辛克莱审视着那张不动声色的精明的脸庞，试图寻找任何冷嘲的迹象,但是却什么都没发现。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

The irony is that many officials in Washington agree in private that their policy is inconsistent...

具有讽刺意味的是,华盛顿的很多官员都私下里承认他们的政策前后不一致。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Opposition parties lost no time in stressing the irony of his return to power after being rejected by voters in November.

他 11 月份遭选民否决后又重新上台，反对党马上对这一讽刺性现象大做文章。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

And there is no intentional irony in any of this . Not from Kobe's end.

这没有丝毫讽刺的意味在里面,科比的确不是这样想的.

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It is my considered opinion, that irony is insult with a smiling face.

我个人的看法是, 讽刺即带着微笑侮辱.

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His command of irony and invective was said to be very classic and lethal.

据说他嬉笑怒骂的本领是极其杰出的,令人无法招架的.

辞典例句

Q: I think all the cynics in here remembered the irony of last year.

问: 我想在这里的所有评论家都记得去年的嘲弄.

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She said to him with slight irony.

她略带嘲讽地对他说.

《简明英汉词典》

The irony of tropical deforestation is that the anticipated economic benefits are usually illusory.

热带雨林遭受滥伐的讽刺意味在于,预期中的经济好处通常是虚假的.

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Irony is wasted on the stupid.

反讽对愚人没有效果.

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There was a whole gap in American history where irony went on holidays.

在美国历史上有一个很大的缺口——当我们还没有讽刺的时候.

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I sensed a touch of irony in his remarks.

我感觉到在他的话里有一些讽刺意味.

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She answered pomposity with irony and dominated conversations by her personality and shrewd psychology.

对于虚夸自负她用的是反唇相讥,她以她的人品和机敏的心理来控制同人家谈话的进程.

辞典例句

Only Merlin's coming has briefly woken me and there the irony of our exchange.

梅林的到来彻底唤醒了我,这是一次充满了嘲弄的交易.

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It also analyzes the pragmatic functions of irony.

本文还结合实例分析了反语的语用功能.

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Ordinary characters or situations are usually exaggerated far beyond the limits of normal satire or irony.

讽刺是讽刺,不一定是黑色幽默,而王蒙的语言没有达到那个程度.

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Her coarse irony was as painful as her anguish.

她那粗俗的讽刺口气和她的痛苦心情,令人感到难受.

辞典例句

The other irony is that, broadly speaking, quality is improving ( something that worries the Japanese ).

另一个疑点在于, 广义上看, 质量还是在提高的 ( 日本人为这个事情忧心忡忡 ).

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The irony is that this may actually reduce the security of the network.

具有讽刺意味的是,这种做法可能威胁到网络安全.

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Is it possible that irony is derived from it?

难道作“讽刺”解释的ironie是从这英文字来的 吗 ?

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Minetta's voice had a meek irony.

米尼塔的口气里略带几分讥刺.

辞典例句

It explores the settings, dramatic methods and irony that portray the characters personality profoundly.

在该小说中,海明威主要运用了场景手法 、 戏剧手法和嘲弄手法塑造人物的个性.

期刊摘选

The irony of these challenges is that each platform has what the other wants.

这些挑战从反面告诉我们,每种平台都拥有其它平台想要的东西.

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