Verbal Irony (Meaning & Examples)

What is Verbal Irony?

When someone says one thing but actually means the opposite, they’re probably being verbally ironic. Verbal irony is when the literal meaning (of a comment or remark) is the opposite or differs sharply from the true or intended meaning of what’s said.

Verbal irony comes in different forms, which we explore. As you’ll see, this type of irony crops up in a seemingly endless stream of contexts and conversation.

Verbal irony is used all the time in daily conversation and speech. A typical example of verbal irony is if the weather outside was horrible, (let’s say it’s gloomy and raining), and someone says, “what great weather we’re having!“. Since we know, (and so does the person speaking) that the weather isn’t nice, they probably didn’t mean this sincerely—rather, they are using verbal irony.

See how with this example, the broader context of the comment is key to determining whether it’s meant to be verbally ironic. To put it another way: if you had no clue what the weather was like, you wouldn’t have a point of reference to situate what’s ironic about that comment. But, because we know the weather is terrible, it’s instantly clear that by saying “what great weather we’re having!“, the exact opposite is what’s actually being said.

Types of verbal irony

While verbal irony is a type of irony, (i.e., within the broader category of irony, including dramatic and situational irony). Verbal irony also has its own subtypes; see the chart illustrating the subtypes and an example of each.

Irony vs. sarcasm

To restate a key point from the example: it’s the broader context that indicates if a situation is or is not verbal irony.

If you’re thinking “that verbal irony figure of speech over there sure looks like a lot like good ol’ sarcasm“, (with a southern accent) then kudos to you for knowing your figures of speech. Sarcasm and verbal irony are similar, and sometimes they overlap; still, they’re not always the same.

Sarcasm is a type of irony. Irony, however, is not always sarcastic (not all A’s are B’s, make sense?) In other words, sarcasm is a form of verbal irony, but not all instances of verbal irony are sarcastic.

Let’s recycle the last scenario to better illustrate the difference:

This is sarcasm, and it’s also meant to ridicule and mock someone (or something) pointedly. Sarcasm, in this sense, goes a step further than regular verbal irony: the person still means the opposite of what they say, but the content of what’s said is in an attempt to be sneering or mocking.

Common Examples of Verbal Irony

1. Spilling coffee on your shirt

If you just spilled coffee on your shirt, and someone asks how your day is going, and you respond “My day’s been just great-thanks!“

2. Being stuck in an elevator

When you’re stuck in an elevator and someone says, “Don’t worry- it’s not like I’m claustrophobic or anything!” What they’re actually saying is that they do, in fact, suffer from claustrophobia.

3. “I could really use a spoon right now!”

Remember that lyric in Alanis Morissette’s song “Ironic“, “It’s like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife“. So, if the person with the 10,000 spoons went on to say, “sure’d be nice to get another spoon!” It could be that they’re antique spoon collectors, or just enjoy having tons of spoons. Otherwise, the remark was probably meant to be ironic (verbally).

4. When your boss asks you to stay late

Has your boss ever asked you to have something done by end of day on a Friday afternoon? Maybe you responded, “No problem!” when what you really meant to say was “Are you being serious right now? I’m about to flip this desk over“.

5. Helping someone with their groceries

When you’re helping someone with their groceries to be kind, but you’re too weak to carry the groceries and are practically falling down. Then, the person you’re carrying the groceries for asks, “Are those heavy?” and you say, “Nope-as light as a toothpick!”

This is an understatement (a subtype of verbal irony), since clearly the opposite is meant. Understatements add humour to an otherwise mundane or arduous situation.

6. Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”

The poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, is interpreted as promoting a risk-taker approach to life, and opting for ‘the road less travelled’. When you take a closer look at the words in the poem, a different story begins to unfold. Here’s the final stanza:

He tells with a sigh that he takes the road less travelled by, and ‘that’s made all the difference’. But, what difference has it made? Was the difference a positive one, or is Frost being verbally ironic?

7. Being on an airplane with lots of turbulence

We could borrow a lyric from Alanis on this one. Specifically, the one about Mr. Play it Safe who was afraid to fly, and then ends up being on the plane that crashes. As it was crashing he had thought “Well, isn’t this nice?” (Verbal irony).

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