Irony

I’ve noticed that when most people say something is ironic it’s not. In fact, irony is quite rare. It’s so rare that one should avoid identifying it because chances are what you think is irony isn’t. Also, irony generally exists in literature, occasionally in television or movies, seldom in real life. Instead, when one thinks they spot irony they should realize it’s not irony and say something like “what a coincidence” or “that’s odd.”

To avoid misidentifying irony one must know what irony is. Irony is basically an “indirect presentation of a contradiction between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs.” Another way to say it: when the literal meaning contradicts the intended meaning.
For instance, the most famous example of irony, “like rain on your wedding day” from Alanis Morissette’s song “Ironic” isn’t ironic. Of course as an example of irony it is ironic since it’s not irony.

Bottom line, just avoid using the term irony.