Socratic irony

[ suh-krat-ik ahy-ruh-nee, ahyer-, soh- ]

noun

1. pretended ignorance in discussion.

Socratic irony

noun

1. philosophy a means by which the pretended ignorance of a skilful questioner leads the person answering to expose his own ignorance

Word History and Origins

Origin of Socratic irony¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Or maybe it was a different problem: In classic Socratic irony, there has to be somebody who doesn’t get the joke, and I had a sneaking suspicion it might be me.

From Salon

Partly because I enjoy characters that display a degree of Socratic irony but mainly due to the fact he is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue.

From Forbes

A marionette Socrates, aided by his wife and students, uses abstract parables, paradoxes and, of course, the Socratic method and Socratic irony to examine epistemological and moral topics like justice, democracy and liberty.

From New York Times

The sophists using the Socratic irony are pronounced happy because of the mass and volume of their words; others play upon words.

From Project Gutenberg

That is, Carlyle uses irony in the common English sense; the Socratic irony, the irony of the "Modest Proposal."

From Project Gutenberg