好词典

irony

UK //ˈaɪ.rə.ni//US //ˈaɪ.rə.ni//

词源

源自希腊语 'eirōneia'(假装无知),通过拉丁语 'ironia' 进入英语,16世纪开始使用。

noun

❶ 反讽,指表面意思与实际含义相反的表达方式,常用于幽默或强调。

“The irony of his situation was that he worked as a chef but hated cooking at home.”

(他的讽刺之处在于,他是一名厨师,却讨厌在家做饭。)

“She said she loved rainy days with heavy irony in her voice.”

(她用充满反讽的语气说她喜欢雨天。)

❶ 戏剧性反讽,指观众知道而剧中角色不知道的情节,制造紧张或幽默效果。

“The audience knew the killer was hiding in the closet, creating dramatic irony.”

(观众知道杀手藏在衣柜里,这形成了戏剧性反讽。)

“Shakespeare often used irony to heighten the tragedy in his plays.”

(莎士比亚经常用反讽来加剧他戏剧中的悲剧色彩。)

同义词:sarcasm, satire, paradox

常见短语

situational irony — 情境反讽,指实际情况与预期完全相反的有趣或荒诞现象。

“A traffic cop getting a parking ticket is a classic example of situational irony.”

(交警收到停车罚单是情境反讽的经典例子。)