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Some days, you can’t help but feel that the universe not only works in mysterious ways but also has a great sense of humor. Believing that people will act a certain way or signs will commit to what they are saying, you often don’t expect they’ll do the exact opposite. And that’s what makes it so ludicrous.

The world is full of unpredicted things, you just have to keep your eyes open. From manually cleaning an iRobot store to humorous health inspection awards, people who stumbled upon something so accidentally ironic just had to take a picture and share it with the whole web.

Bored Panda has scoured the internet and compiled a list of some of the finest ironic moments for you to enjoy. So get ready to have a good laugh and upvote your favorite ones! And if you’re hungry for some more hilarious situations, be sure to check out our previous posts right here and here.

#1

Shell And Cif, The Destroyers Of Planets, Eliminators Of Lifeforms

Shell And Cif, The Destroyers Of Planets, Eliminators Of Lifeforms

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Everyone loves a delicious bit of irony from time to time. When we stumble upon these unexpected moments, they get easily stuck in our heads—after all, we know irony when we see it. But when it comes to defining the term and expressing it with words, many people have difficulties.

The most basic definition of this term is a conflict between what’s expected and what occurs. To learn more about irony and its humorous nature, we reached out to Roger J. Kreuz, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and an associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Memphis.

In his recent book, Irony and Sarcasm, Kreuz goes into great detail in explaining how and why these words “are two of the most misused, misapplied, and misunderstood words in our conversational lexicon.”

#5

This Is How We Roll In My Town

This Is How We Roll In My Town

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While many of us instinctively understand when a situation is ironic, it can be hard to articulate it. The professor said that the reason behind this is that “the perception of irony is triggered by violations of implicit assumptions that we have about the world and how it is supposed to work.” 

“In most cases, we aren’t even aware of these assumptions until we encounter something incongruous or peculiar that contradicts our expectations,” he added. Kreuz provided a couple of examples: 

  • You encounter a sign with a misspelling in front of a store. Not a big deal – mistakes happen. Not irony.
  • You see a sign in front of a school. Many schools have such signs, so nothing surprising about that. Not irony.
  • You see a sign in front of a school that reads “We are committed to excellense.” Educators are supposed to know how to spell, so the juxtaposition of the message, the mistake, and its very public location triggers a sense of irony.
#7

What If?

What If?

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Tabby_Sohee
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m sorry, but this is inconsiderate. Many people who state their religion as an excuse and do horrible things are indeed Christian, but it’s not a religion-based thing, every religion has those kinds of psychos. Christianity does not deserve to be put down like this and be called a lie; calling someone’s beliefs and integrity a lie is not the way to building equality between religions and cultures. Please, let’s try to accept other cultures instead of bashing down the ones of others.

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#9

Pharmacy Puts Their Back Pain Stuff On The Bottom Shelf

Pharmacy Puts Their Back Pain Stuff On The Bottom Shelf

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#10

Handle Broke

Handle Broke

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“In a similar way, a destroyed book is not ironic, and a book about dog training isn’t either,” the professor continued. But if you juxtapose them and see Dog Training for Dummies being destroyed by your furry four-legged friend: “Voilà, irony!”

One thing that many people tend to mix up is verbal irony and sarcasm. These two words often are used interchangeably, yet they’re not the same. “Irony is often triggered by situations and involves incongruity, juxtaposition, and unexpectedness. Sarcasm, on the other hand, is typically verbal,” Kreuz told Bored Panda. 

“It often makes use of irony to criticize someone else, or to be humorous. But not all sarcasm involves irony, which is why people are often confused about these terms.”

#11

Things Have Gone Wrong Somewhere

Things Have Gone Wrong Somewhere

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Lousha
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This might look funny but only 50 percent went wrong, if that. I will say that dogs should not be in strollers and shouldn't be bred to the point where they are not dogs anymore. But kids on a leash - that is a good thing! It makes the outings much safer. Such small kids, even if very well behaved and disciplined don't yet have a brain yet that can compute consequences. The world is fast and dangerous. The leash can make sure they never disappear on you when for 2 seconds you're looking at what the other one is doing, and can't run ahead enough to be hit by a car. I used to be a nanny and I refused to take the 3 year old out until I was given one of these. I was still holding her hand and she was a very good little lady, but it made me feel safer to know that she can't just dart out on a whim as we're crossing a million roads to school.

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#13

Found This Old Apple Slogan. Times Sure Have Changed

Found This Old Apple Slogan. Times Sure Have Changed

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And talking about why many of us find it comical when we come across an ironic sign, poster, or image, Kreuz mentioned that we think it’s amusing because it’s almost like solving a puzzle. “When we spot the incongruity, we can be amused, and then perhaps consider ourselves to be a little superior compared to those who don’t ’get the joke.’”

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Looking through this list, you can’t help but feel reminded to expect the unexpected and chuckle at the ups and downs of life. After all, ironic billboards, posters, and situations are lurking all around us, just waiting to be captured and shared with people in great need of a laugh or two.

#14

Dog Came To The Vet Today For Swallowing A Monopoly Piece

Dog Came To The Vet Today For Swallowing A Monopoly Piece

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#15

This Subway Is Telling People To Eat Next Door

This Subway Is Telling People To Eat Next Door

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#18

Noticed Our Stroller Felt A Little Weird, Found Out There’s A Pin Stuck In The Tire. The Pin Is Very Ironic

Noticed Our Stroller Felt A Little Weird, Found Out There’s A Pin Stuck In The Tire. The Pin Is Very Ironic

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#24

There Was An Attempt To Stop The Seagulls

There Was An Attempt To Stop The Seagulls

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#25

Nestled Away In A Small Local Newspaper Is The Greatest And Most Ironic Ad Ever

Nestled Away In A Small Local Newspaper Is The Greatest And Most Ironic Ad Ever

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#26

Took This After Lunch At The Restaurant. At Least The Irony Is Delicious

Took This After Lunch At The Restaurant. At Least The Irony Is Delicious

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#28

A Machine Came Thru My Local John Deere For Repairs From The Tornado In Kentucky

A Machine Came Thru My Local John Deere For Repairs From The Tornado In Kentucky

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#30

We Always Get Each Other Ironic Gifts, My Little Sister Killed It This Year: Batteries Not Included

We Always Get Each Other Ironic Gifts, My Little Sister Killed It This Year: Batteries Not Included

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#32

For Christmas 2019, My Boss Gifted Us With 1 Work From Home Day In 2020

For Christmas 2019, My Boss Gifted Us With 1 Work From Home Day In 2020

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#34

Well Isn’t That Ironic

Well Isn’t That Ironic

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Bacony Cakes
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

*puts these in my printer, runs out of magenta immediately, buys new of these, print heads are misaligned, i waste all the cyan doing the test thing, i buy more of these, they're incompatible because they have drm somehow, i give up and throw my printer into an active volcano*

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#36

“This Is Not Style. This Is Stupidity”

“This Is Not Style. This Is Stupidity”

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Mr Red
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine waking up in the morning, take a shower, have some coffee and get to your car to go shopping... then running back in and shouting to your husband: I almost forgot my sign, silly me!

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#38

He Knew It Would Come To This One Day

He Knew It Would Come To This One Day

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#39

This A Little Infuriating Exchange On A Dating App

This A Little Infuriating Exchange On A Dating App

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#42

Picking Up Plastic On The Beach Today... The Irony

Picking Up Plastic On The Beach Today... The Irony

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#43

Our Youngest Son Has A Taste For Irony

Our Youngest Son Has A Taste For Irony

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#44

Breakable

Breakable

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80 Van
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m surprised this didn’t happen more often with the DVD’s being in a paper sleeve going through the mail system.

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#45

Goddammit

Goddammit

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#47

Irony

Irony

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Troux
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When they let you give your own performance evaluations at work.

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#48

There Was Flooding Where I Live Recently. Ironic

There Was Flooding Where I Live Recently. Ironic

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#49

The Irony Here Is Amazing. Never Tell Me The Odds

The Irony Here Is Amazing. Never Tell Me The Odds

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Auntriarch
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember an averagely pleasant looking woman saying she used to be Miss England. My 9 year old face must have been broadcasting doubt, because she clarified that it was her maiden name

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Béla Kun
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I work in the field of nuclear medicine and I have a college who's last name is radiation in my language

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LSR
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tell me that the sign is on front of the glass and not beneath it..."(blind person) Damn, I cannot read anything in this sign!"

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MiniMaus
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We had a German teacher in Grade 12.. His name was Herr Herr.

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Atchaco-Leigh
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a friend with a surname English, I also had another friend whos name was England

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Brian Bennett
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why isn't Mr. English's name in brail - implying the blind have no sense of humor or they are to smart to fall for this?

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#50

The Left Door Perfectly Describes The Right Door's Condition

The Left Door Perfectly Describes The Right Door's Condition

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Note: this post originally had 120 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.