Editor's Corner

Good morning, inquisitors. A while back, I was asked to define and explain the difference between the words irony and sarcasm, so I’m going to give it a whirl. Wish me luck.

First, I’ll tackle the word that is more often misused and misunderstood: irony. Irony occurs when the opposite of what you expect happens. Here are some examples of everyday ironic situations:

• Right after you wash your car, it starts to rain.
• The firehouse burns down.
• You reluctantly go on a blind date, and while you’re waiting, you start talking to someone and find you really like them. And then you find out you just met your blind date. (Isn’t that sweet?)

To clarify a little bit more, here are a couple of good movie-related examples of irony in action:

• In the movie Nemo, there is a clip during which Nemo’s dad, Marlin, is arguing with Mr. Ray about who is better able to supervise Nemo so he doesn’t get into trouble. The irony is that while they are arguing, Nemo swims off and gets into trouble.
• In the movie The Sixth Sense a child therapist is helping a little boy who claims he can see dead people. SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read the next sentence if you haven’t seen the movie but plan to. The plot twists when the therapist (and the movie audience) find out that he (the therapist) is dead.

Irony can be verbal as well as situational. According to Merriam-Webster, irony is “the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning.” For example, on a cold, dreary wintery day, it would be ironic to say, “What a beautiful, sunny day!” It’s ironic because it’s the opposite of the truth. But it’s not sarcastic because it’s not biting or mocking (more about that in a minute).

It’s important to remember that irony is not the same as coincidence. If you and I share the same birthday, it is not ironic, it’s a coincidence. And even though it might be very unusual, if we bump into each other three times in the same day, it would not be ironic, it would be series of coincidences.

Let’s move on to sarcasm, which Merriam-Webster defines this way, “a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain.” For example, when someone does something wrong, it would be sarcastic to say, “Good job, Ace. You really nailed it!”

It might help to think of the relationship between irony and sarcasm this way: sarcasm is a form of irony that is directed at a person with the intent to criticize in a “humorous” way.

I hope the explanation and examples help. Thanks for the question David P., and I mean that sincerely, not sarcastically.

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry

Pronouns she/her/hers

9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123

Symitar Documentation Services

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Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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