irony
n. C / Un. a situation that is strange or funny because it is the exact opposite of what you expect. It also refers to saying the opposite of what you really mean, usually to make a point or a joke.
n. a rhetorical device or situation in which there is a sharp contrast between expectation and reality. Uncountable for the abstract concept; countable when denoting a specific contradictory event.
The irony is that the fire station burned down.
It was a bitter irony that the famous marriage counselor ended up going through a messy divorce.
The tragic irony of the play lies in the protagonist unknowingly fulfilling the very prophecy he fled his homeland to escape.
First attested in 1502. From Middle French ironie, from Old French, from Latin īrōnīa, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία (eirōneía, “irony, pretext”), from εἴρων (eírōn, “one who feigns ignorance”).
From Middle English hyrony, yreny, yrony, yrunny, equivalent to iron + -y.
Often followed by a 'that' clause to explain the contradictory situation, or modified by adjectives like 'tragic', 'bitter', or 'dramatic'.