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Irony vs Cynicism - What's the difference?

irony | cynicism |

As nouns the difference between irony and cynicism

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 cynicism is a distrustful attitude.

As an adjective irony

is of or pertaining to the metal iron.

As a proper noun Cynicism is

the philosophy of the Greek Cynics.

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

    cynicism

    English

    Noun

  • (uncountable) a distrustful attitude
    • David T Wolf: "Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows."
  • (uncountable) an emotion of jaded negativity, or a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of other people. Cynicism can manifest itself by frustration, disillusionment and distrust in regard to organizations, authorities and other aspects of society, often due to previous bad experience. Cynics often view others as motivated solely by disguised self-interest.
  • (countable) a skeptical, scornful or pessimistic comment or act

    • See also

    * ("cynicism" on Wikipedia)