I've always found this debate a bit pedantic. The definitions listed include, "incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or

I've always found this debate a bit pedantic. The definitions listed include, "incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result." It's an odd definition to showcase to make the point that irony doesn't merely mean "the unexpected." The prescriptivists should note that they've been losing this fight over usage since around the 1640s. And even if Alanis was the first to use the word in this way, there's another very strict rule of English: you may extend the meanings of words wherever you damn well please. If the extension is likely to cause confusion about your intended meaning, that's on you. I will posit that no use of the word 'ironic' to mean 'unexpected' has ever confused anyone, except as to whether or not they should be an ass by pointing out how much more they know about what's proper than the speaker.