Skip to content

ironía

irony

noun ee-roh-NEE-ah Rare
Communication Speech

Origin: from Greek eirōneia, 'feigned ignorance'

Usage Note

Ironía covers both verbal irony (saying the opposite of what is meant) and situational irony (la ironía del destino — the irony of fate). In Spanish rhetoric, ironía is closely linked to sarcasmo, though ironía is subtler. The adjective form is irónico/a. The written accent on the i breaks the -ia diphthong, giving a four-syllable word: i-ro-ní-a.

Examples

"Habló con ironía sobre su propia suerte."

Natural Translation

She spoke with irony about her own fate.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic