Why is it that people insist on misusing the term irony to refer to situations that are in no way ironic? Every now and again some thread will turn up talking about people not being able to understand irony and so forth - and in the ensuing exchanges it becomes clear that most of the examples of "irony" given aren't actually examples of irony at all.

For example if someone wins the lottery and drops down with a heart attack that's only too likely to be described as "ironic". Or if it turns out that some health food is in fact harmful, that'll get landed with the same word.

And what happens all the time is that the expression is used in a context where what is involved is accurately described as "paradoxical". Which is in a way the precise reverse of being ironic.

Irony means you say something, but mean the opposite, and intend your hearer to understand that (which is where it differs from lying.)

A paradox is when you say something which a listener will take as not being meant to be taken as true, but it is so meant. "War is the health of the state", for example.

Here's an article I found the other day which discusses all this at greater length than would fit in a post.