dramatic irony

[ druh-mat-ik ahy-ruh-nee, ahy-er-nee ]

noun

1. irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play.

dramatic irony

noun

1. theatre the irony occurring when the implications of a situation, speech, etc, are understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play

Word History and Origins

Origin of dramatic irony¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

In a piece of tragically dramatic irony, after a lifetime of imposing his literary opinions on the world, Gilman was rendered unable to speak in his final years.

From Washington Post

In “Leopoldstadt,” Stoppard takes dramatic irony — the audience’s grasp of what the characters cannot see — to such an extreme that it becomes the subject itself.

From New York Times

Plus, the missing feature being designed to delete things adds dramatic irony, as Android Central’s “Google magically erases Magic Eraser” headline pokes fun at.

From The Verge

“I’d call it a dramatic irony,” Woods said in a phone interview on Friday.

From New York Times

Maintaining the momentum in a farce can be difficult, especially throughout a whole season, but “MMO Junkie” takes full advantage of dramatic irony and other rom-com standards like love triangles and lots of serendipity.

From New York Times