Irony is a concept in the English language that is often mistakenly used when referring to a coincidence. When people are surprised by an event and want to express their astonishment, they tend to use the term “ironical” when they should actually be using the word “coincidence.” This article aims to help readers differentiate between irony and coincidence and make correct use of both concepts.
Irony
When someone says something that is the exact opposite of what they intend to convey, it is considered ironic. When words imply something completely different from their literal meaning, it is verbal irony. Another example of verbal irony is when a speaker says one thing but means another, also known as sarcasm. In addition to verbal irony, there are situational and dramatic ironies.
When the outcome is completely contrary to what was expected, making a mockery of the expectations, the situation or series of events—whether comic or tragic—is considered ironic. For example, if an asthmatic person is run over by a truck carrying inhalers for asthma patients while crossing the road to buy an inhaler, it is both tragic and ironic.
Coincidence
A coincidence is an event or series of events that occur or take place by chance. Even if it appears to be an extraordinary occurrence, it does not qualify as ironic and remains a coincidence. For example, there are peculiar coincidences in the lives of two American Presidents: Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. While Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846, Kennedy was elected in 1946. Lincoln became President in 1860, Kennedy in 1960. Both were assassinated and both were shot in their heads. Lincoln had a secretary with the last name Kennedy, while Kennedy had a secretary with the last name Lincoln.
These events suggest that there have been significant coincidences in the lives of the two Presidents. There were many more events similar or identical in their lives that may surprise many people, but these are not ironical, but purely coincidental.
A woman moving from New York to California, meeting a man, and falling in love with him—who also moved to California from New York—is a pure coincidence. If someone is fearful of rain ruining their ceremony and arranges their wedding inside a hall where sprinklers drench guests when they suddenly go off, it is considered a coincidence or bad luck, not an irony.
Key Takeaways
- Irony occurs when the outcome is completely contrary to what was expected, while coincidence is an event or series of events that occur or take place by chance.
- Verbal irony is when words imply something completely different from their literal meaning, while situational and dramatic ironies involve unexpected outcomes in events and situations.
- Extraordinary occurrences that happen by chance are not considered ironic but are classified as coincidences.
