What is Verbal Irony? Definition and Examples for Screenwriters

It’s important to note that verbal irony is not sarcasm. Sarcasm is when verbal irony is applied in a pointed way to emphasize something. 

For example, if person A touches person B’s hair, person A may say “I love when you do that.” If context tells us they mean the opposite, then we can say they were being verbally ironic. Now suppose Person A says “I LOVE when YOU do that!” in a sarcastic tone, then we can say they were using sarcasm to emphasize how much they actually hate it. Sometimes, it’s a little tricky to differentiate, but hopefully our examples will clear things up. Let’s define verbal irony – then we’ll work through some verbal irony examples.

Conceptual Verbal Irony Examples 

Stable vs. unstable irony 

The difference between stable irony and unstable irony is an important part of deducing an author’s voice. But what do the three terms mean?

• Stable irony is a type of verbal irony in which readers are able to infer the author’s voice.
• Unstable irony is a type of verbal irony in which readers are unable to infer the author’s voice.
• An author’s voice is what we interpret as the author’s true feelings on their work.
  
  

All of this is subjective – and tucked under the umbrella of literary criticism. Many literary scholars suggest that we can’t interpret an author’s voice based solely off the things they write. Others say we can only interpret an author’s voice based on the things they write. There isn’t necessarily a “right” or “wrong” perspective on the difference between stable irony and unstable irony. 

The most important thing to remember is that the words you write will have an impact on the reader. That doesn’t mean you have to agree with what you write – particularly in fiction – but you do have to acknowledge that some people might interpret it that way.

What Does Verbal Irony Mean?

Verbal irony meaning explained

Verbal irony can be a powerful tool in writing dialogue. When a character says exactly what they mean, that can be uninteresting both for the actor delivering the lines and for the audience watching them.

Interesting dialogue has nuance and subtext – and it leaves a little (or a lot) of room open for interpretation. This type of irony can be used for any number of situations, from comedy to romance to suspense. It can be used to add depth and complexity to what characters say.

Here are some examples of what that looks like:

• In The Cask of Amontillado, Fortunato says “I shall not die of a cough,” to which Montressor says “True--true.” This is an example of  verbal irony because we know Montressor plans to kill him.
• In Julius Caesar (specifically the 1953 film adaptation), Mark Antony refers to Brutus as an “honorable man” after he betrays Caesar. This is an example of verbal irony because we know his actions were inherently dishonest. 
• In Star Wars, Han Solo uses sarcasm to make pointed statements at other characters. These are examples of verbal irony because they mean the opposite of what he says.
  
  

Verbal irony can be applied in a variety of different ways. Let’s examine how writers use verbal irony in comedy first!

What is Verbal Irony Used for in Comedy?

Using verbal irony for humor

In The Office, Jim constantly pranks Dwight. He’s able to do this because Dwight is quite gullible — he believes almost anything you say, especially if it’s something he WANTS to believe...like vampires. Jim uses verbal irony to convince Dwight that he is slowly turning into a vampire...and it is one of the best pranks of the show. Check out the hilarious clip below.

The Office certainly has a lot of verbal irony, but it’s not the only entertainment property known for it. Let’s take a look at some other verbal irony examples from film and TV.

Fairy Tale IRONY

Let verbal irony be romantic

In The Princess Bride script, verbal irony is often used romantically. Like when Westley says, “as you wish” instead of “I love you.”

Saying “I love you” is certainly direct, but finding an alternative or creative phrase will rise much further on the romance index. It’s not a perfect example of verbal irony, but it is a good example of how indirect dialogue can add depth to your work. Let’s review the scene below.

Remember: all sarcasm is verbal irony, but not all verbal irony is sarcasm. There is constant confusion over irony vs. sarcasm but hopefully you understand the difference now. 

Read on for a more detailed definition of sarcasm, including more examples from movies and TV.

Learn more about sarcasm →

Subsets of the Verbal Irony Definition

Understatement vs. overstatement

Two ways you can utilize verbal irony is through understatement and overstatement. But what is understatement and overstatement? In presentational terms, understatement is when something is minimized and overstatement is when something is exaggerated.

For example, if it’s 100 degrees outside and someone says, “It’s a little warm” they are making an understatement. On the contrary, if they say, “It’s hotter than the sun out here!” they are making an overstatement.

These aren’t the only examples of understatement and overstatement though. Read on for a more detailed definition of understatement and overstatement, including examples from movies and TV.

Learn more about understatement →

Learn more about overstatement →

Socratic Verbal Irony Definition

Socratic irony

Socratic irony is when you feign ignorance in order to draw something out of someone (i.e., "playing dumb"). For example, when your parents know the truth but play dumb in order to trap you in a lie.

This is where the whole concept of irony was born, named for a Greek character named Eiron who used wit disguised as ignorance to defeat his opponent. Let’s break down an iconic example of socratic irony in film.

When the court asks Michael if he orchestrated the murders of the heads of the “five families,” Michael says “that’s a complete falsehood.” Of course, we know he did; because of this we can say his lie is an example of socratic irony. It can be tricky to differentiate between an outright lie and socratic irony. Ultimately, there’s little distinction between the two.
Read on for a more detailed definition of Socratic irony, including more examples from movies and TV.

Learn more about Socratic irony →