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What Ironic Really Means Lyrics by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor

2011

Welcome to Ask the Editor. I'm Kory Stamper, an Associate Editor at Merriam-Webster.
Back in 1996, singer Alanis Morrissette released a song called "Ironic" that included a list of things—like rain on your wedding day—that she called "ironic." It's a marvel that this song, released during the Internet equivalent of the early Cretaceous period, still inspires online arguments about the word "ironic."
The claim of her critics is this: that for an event to be truly ironic, it must exhibit what is called "situational irony." Situational irony involves a striking reversal of what is expected or intended. So, I hop over my dog to avoid tripping and hurting myself, and in doing so, I trip and hurt myself—that's situational irony. The word "ironic," the critics say, does not describe odd or coincidental events and has a more specific meaning, and people need to understand that.
Well, someone may have forgotten to tell the people "ironic" has been used vaguely at best for a good 150 years. Take this 1939 quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald: "It is an ironic thought that the last picture job I took yielded me five thousand dollars five hundred and cost over four thousand in medical attention." Is this situational irony? Some would say, "Yes; he expected to keep the money he made," and some would say, "No; it's only true situational irony if he loses the money on another film project." You see how fuzzy the idea of reversal is. Perhaps Fitzgerald just means it's "tragic" or "odd" or "curious."
What matters to lexicographers is that many people, like Fitzgerald, have been using "ironic" in a similar way for a while. The adverb "ironically" is already defined in our dictionaries as referring to curious or surprising events, because it's been used that way since the 19th century. It's just a matter of time before the narrow definitions of "irony" and "ironic" are similarly broadened. We'll let the Internet figure out if that'll constitute situational irony.
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Credits
Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster

About “What Ironic Really Means” by Merriam-Webster

Read the complete lyrics to "What Ironic Really Means" by Merriam-Webster from the album "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" in 2011. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"What Ironic Really Means" is performed by Merriam-Webster. from the album "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" in 2011 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "What Ironic Really Means", explore more songs by Merriam-Webster using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"What Ironic Really Means" is credited to Merriam-Webster. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"What Ironic Really Means" appears on "Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor" in 2011.

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