Irony

Irony is a trope in which the true sense of an utterance is the opposite of what is literally expressed: words of praise convey censure, and apparent agreement mockery ("what a hero!" of a coward). Irony rests on the contrast between the direct meaning of the words and the subtext revealed by intonation, situation or context. As a stylistic device, irony expresses a critical-mocking attitude disguised as approval. More broadly, irony is understood as a type of world-view and an aesthetic category (Romantic irony, the irony of fate), and its sharpened, biting form is called sarcasm. Irony is a powerful means of satire and humour that demands perceptiveness from the reader to recognise the hidden authorial meaning, often opposite to the outward one.