Tone of voice can indicate anger and irony.
Source: tatoeba (271931)
Irony
/ˈaɪə.ɹən.i/
Synonyms for "irony" (103 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (21)
agile witambiguityambiguousnessambivalenceamphibologyantinomyatticismbiformitybifurcationblack humorburlesquecaricaturecausticitycomedycomplexity of meaningconjugation
Strong matches (31)
Adjective(1 words)
cynicismdichotomydouble entendredouble meaningdouble referencedoublenessdoublethinkdoublingdry witdualismdualityduplexityduplicationduplicityequivocacyequivocalityequivocalnessequivocationespritfarce
Noun(4 words)
Interjection(1 words)
Related words (51)
januslampoonlevels of meaningmalapropismmetaphormultivocalitynimble witoxymoronpairingparadoxparodyparonomasiapleasantrypolaritypolysemousnesspolysemypretty witpunningquick witready wit
Show 21 more words
reparteerichness of meaningsaltsarcasmsatiresatiric witsavor of witself-contradictionsimileslapstickslapstick humorspeechsquibsubtle wittravestytwinningtwo-facednesstwonessuncertaintyvisual humorwit
Adjective(1 words)
Noun(9 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: sarcasm, afisr, agile wit, ambiguity, ambiguousness.
- Sentence evidence is available for irony, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "irony".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "irony"
Keep "irony" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "irony" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "irony", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "irony" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
16 entriesconceptfigurefigure of speechhumorhumourimageincongruityincongruousnessliterary devicephenomenonphilosophical idearhetorical devicetropewitwitticismwittiness
More specific
5 entriesCollocations
6 entriescosmic ironydeadpan ironydramatic ironyirony of fatesituational ironyverbal irony
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
4 entriesTranslations
94 translations across 57 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- ironi noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Arabic
4 entries- اِسْتِهْزَاء noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- تَعَارُض noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- تَنَافُر noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- تَهَكُّم noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Armenian
2 entries- իրոնիա noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- հեգնանք noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Azerbaijani
3 entries- istehza noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- kinayə noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- rişxənd noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Belarusian
1 entries- іро́нія noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Bulgarian
1 entries- иро́ния noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Catalan
1 entries- ironia noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 反話 /反话 noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- 反語 /反语 noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- 諷刺 /讽刺 noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Czech
1 entries- ironie noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Danish
1 entries- ironi noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Dutch
1 entries- ironie noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Esperanto
1 entries- ironio noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Estonian
1 entries- iroonia noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Finnish
1 entries- ironia noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
French
1 entries- ironie noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Galician
2 entries- ironía noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- retranca noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Georgian
1 entries- ირონია noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
German
1 entries- Ironie noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Greek
1 entries- ειρωνεία noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Hebrew
1 entries- אִירוֹנְיָה noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Hindi
3 entries- विडंबना noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- विडम्बना noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- व्यंग्य noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Hungarian
1 entries- irónia noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Icelandic
1 entries- írónía noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Indonesian
1 entries- ironi noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Interlingua
1 entries- ironia noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Irish
1 entries- íoróin noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Italian
2 entries- ironia noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- paradosso noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Japanese
3 entries- アイロニー noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- 反語 noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- 諷刺 noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Kazakh
1 entries- ирония noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Korean
2 entries- 반어 noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- 풍자 noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- ирония noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Latvian
1 entries- ironija noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Lithuanian
1 entries- ironija noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Macedonian
1 entries- иронија noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Māori
2 entries- kōrero takahiri noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- kōrori noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- ironi noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- ironi noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Persian
4 entries- استهزا noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- ریشخند noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- کنایه noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- گواژه noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Polish
1 entries- ironia noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Portuguese
1 entries- ironia noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Romanian
1 entries- ironie noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Russian
1 entries- иро́ния noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- irònija noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- иро̀нија noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Slovak
1 entries- irónia noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Slovene
1 entries- ironija noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Spanish
1 entries- ironía noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Swedish
1 entries- ironi noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Tagalog
2 entries- libak noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- parikala noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Tajik
3 entries- истеҳзо noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- киноя noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- ришханд noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Tamil
1 entries- வஞ்சப்புகழ்ச்சி noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Thai
4 entries- การแฝงนัย noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- คำถากถาง noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- คำประชด noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- คำประชดประชัน noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Turkish
3 entries- ironi noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- istihza noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- tezat noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Ukrainian
1 entries- іро́нія noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Urdu
1 entries- اِسْتِہْزا noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Uyghur
3 entries- ئىرونىيە noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- تەنە noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- كىنايە noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Uzbek
3 entries- ironiya noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- istehzo noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- kinoya noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Vietnamese
2 entries- giống gang noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
- giống thép noun (statement that may mean the opposite of what is written literally)
Sample sentences
23 total sentences available.
There was a touch of irony in his speech.
Source: tatoeba (285591)
She will perceive his irony.
Source: tatoeba (316437)
"Literally" can literally mean "metaphorically". "Literal" meaning "metaphorical" is also a literal irony.
Source: tatoeba (463421)
Showing 4 of 23 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "irony"?
Closest matches include sarcasm, afisr, agile wit, ambiguity, ambiguousness.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "irony"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.