irony vs subtlety

irony

noun
  • The quality of a statement that, when taken in context, may actually mean something different from, or the opposite of, what is written literally; the use of words expressing something other than their literal intention, often in a humorous context. 

  • Contradiction between circumstances and expectations; condition contrary to what might be expected. 

  • Dramatic irony: a theatrical effect in which the meaning of a situation, or some incongruity in the plot, is understood by the audience, but not by the characters in the play. 

  • Socratic irony: ignorance feigned for the purpose of confounding or provoking an antagonist. 

  • An ironic statement. 

adj
  • Of or pertaining to the metal iron. 

  • The food had an irony taste to it. 

subtlety

noun
  • The quality of being done in a clever way that is not obvious or not direct; the quality of being carefully thought out. 

  • The quality of being able to notice or understand things that are not obvious. 

  • An instance of being subtle, a subtle thing, especially a subtle argument or distinction. 

  • The quality of being able to achieve one's aims through clever, delicate or indirect methods. 

  • The quality of being scarcely noticeable or difficult to discern. 

  • An ornate medieval illusion dish or table decoration, especially when made from one thing but crafted to look like another. 

How often have the words irony and subtlety occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )