Irony & Understatement
Irony
A gap between what is said and meant, what a character and audience know, or what is expected and happens. Context helps the reader recognize the gap.
"Brutus is an honourable man." — Antony, meaning the reverse
Don't confuse it with Paradox. Sarcasm is verbal irony weaponized at a target. Paradox asserts a real contradiction; irony merely means other than it says.
Examples
“Perfect weather for a picnic,” she said as hail smashed the windows.
The destructive weather contradicts the speaker’s literal praise.
Often used alongside this device
Explore devices that often appear in the same passages as irony.
Litotes 13 Antithesis 8 Personification 8 Euphemism 8 Passive Voice 6 Anaphora 6 Apposition / Appositive 6 Metaphor 4
The rest of the family
Hyperbole Litotes Meiosis / Understatement Bathos Euphemism Periphrasis Apophasis