Irony (), in its broadest sense, is a
rhetorical device,
literary technique, or event in which what appears, on the surface, to be the case, differs radically from what is actually the case. Irony may be divided into categories such as
verbal,
dramatic, and
situational. Verbal, dramatic, and situational irony are often used for emphasis in the assertion of a truth. The ironic form of
simile, used in
sarcasm, and some forms of
litotes can emphasize one's meaning by the deliberate use of language which states the opposite of the truth, denies the contrary of the truth, or drastically and obviously understates a factual connection.
