dramatic irony

noun

literature

: incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play : irony sense 2b

All the other doctors are knownothing quacks; that the audience has more medical knowledge than they is but one example of the dramatic irony which is a feature of Alan Bennett's brilliant script.

—Alan Geary

Examples of dramatic irony in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The tension between spoken words and unspoken thoughts can create delicious dramatic irony, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. —Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2024

Well, his appearance gives the season’s ending a big hit of dramatic irony. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 17 July 2024

For older kids, Shaun is a font of humor, often playing on small-scale dramatic ironies and big broad payoffs — there’s a lot of generous slapstick, and the stakes stay pretty low. —Vulture Editors, Vulture, 11 June 2024

When Joshua Harmon’s Prayer for the French Republic opened Off Broadway in 2022, there was already a steady drip of dramatic irony in the play. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above