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
Alan GearyExamples of dramatic irony in a Sentence
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The audience is in on the suspicion that the problems here will likely exist there, and the dramatic irony is amped up in this particular context, as Germany has been draconian in clamping down on Palestine solidarity.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 11 July 2025
Among the group is a pair of Black twins, whose professor mentions Mengele’s fixation with identical siblings, which both portends fleeting dramatic moments in the rest of the film, and also steeps this post-mortem study in dramatic irony.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2025
Amy's every interaction is loaded with dramatic irony, but the audience isn't in a good spot knowing that her teenage daughter actually hates her or that the new chief of internal medicine is a quack who killed a patient.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for dramatic irony
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Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 11 July 2025
Among the group is a pair of Black twins, whose professor mentions Mengele’s fixation with identical siblings, which both portends fleeting dramatic moments in the rest of the film, and also steeps this post-mortem study in dramatic irony.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2025
Amy's every interaction is loaded with dramatic irony, but the audience isn't in a good spot knowing that her teenage daughter actually hates her or that the new chief of internal medicine is a quack who killed a patient.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for dramatic irony
Cite this Entry
“Dramatic irony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dramatic%20irony. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.
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