irony1

noun (plural ironies)

• the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect:‘Don’t go overboard with the gratitude,’ he rejoined with heavy irony
• a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often wryly amusing as a result:the irony is that I thought he could help me [count noun]:one of life’s little ironies
• (also dramatic or tragic irony) a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character’s words or actions is clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.