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Irony vs Criticism - What's the difference?

irony | criticism |

As nouns the difference between irony and criticism

is that irony is a statement that, when taken in context, may actually mean something different from, or the opposite of, what is written literally; the use of words expressing something other than their literal intention, often in a humorous context while criticism is the act of criticising; a critical judgment passed or expressed; a critical observation or detailed examination and review; a critique; animadversion; censure.

As an adjective irony

is of or pertaining to the metal iron.

irony

English

(wikipedia irony)

Etymology 1

First attested in 1502. From (etyl) ironie, from (etyl), from (etyl) .

Noun

  • A statement that, when taken in context, may actually mean something different from, or the opposite of, what is written literally; the use of words expressing something other than their literal intention, often in a humorous context.
  • Dramatic irony: a theatrical effect in which the meaning of a situation, or some incongruity in the plot, is understood by the audience, but not by the characters in the play.
  • Ignorance feigned]] for the purpose of confounding or [[provoke, provoking an antagonist; Socratic irony.
  • {{cite news
    • , date=2008-06-30 , title=Isn’t It Ironic? Probably Not , first=Bob , last=Harris , newspaper=The New York Times citation , accessdate=2011-01-06 }} ironic], [[w:TheFreeDictionary.com, TheFreeDictionary.com], accessed 4 November 2011: The words ironic'', ''irony'', and ''ironically'' are sometimes used of events and circumstances that might better be described as simply "coincidental" or "improbable," in that they suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly. Thus 78 percent of the Usage Panel rejects the use of ironically in the sentence ''In 1969 Susie moved from Ithaca to California where she met her husband-to-be, who, ironically, also came from upstate New York''. Some Panelists noted that this particular usage might be acceptable if Susie had in fact moved to California in order to find a husband, in which case the story could be taken as exemplifying the folly of supposing that we can know what fate has in store for us. By contrast, 73 percent accepted the sentence ''Ironically, even as the government was fulminating against American policy, American jeans and videocassettes were the hottest items in the stalls of the market , where the incongruity can be seen as an example of human inconsistency. Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected.
    Usage notes
    * Some authorities omit the last sense, "contradiction of circumstances and expectations, condition contrary to what might be expected", however it has been in common use since the 1600s. irony, Online Etymology Dictionary
    Derived terms
    * dramatic irony * irony mark * ironic * ironical * ironist * Socratic irony
    Related terms
    * ironically
    References

    Etymology 2

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of or pertaining to the metal iron.
    • The food had an irony taste to it.
    Synonyms
    * ferric * ferrous

    criticism

    English

    (wikipedia criticism)

    Noun

  • The act of criticising; a critical judgment passed or expressed; a critical observation or detailed examination and review; a critique; animadversion; censure.
    • The politician received a lot of public criticism for his controversial stance on the issue.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1874, author=Thomas Hardy, title=Far From the Madding Crowd, publisher=Barnes & Noble Classics (2005 publication of 1912 Wessex edition), page=276,
    • passage=Her attitude was that of a person who listens, either to the external world of sound, or to the discourse of thought. A close criticism might have detected signs proving that she was intent on the latter alternative.}}

    Derived terms

    * self-criticism * constructive criticism * destructive criticism * literary criticism

    Related terms

    * critic * criticise * critical

    References

    * *