I’m searching for the term whereby the intended use of a word is opposite to its established meaning.
‘Doublespeak’ is not quite it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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1Could you provide an example or two of what you mean? – KillingTime Jul 27 '22 at 11:25
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There is the sarcastic or ironic use of a word, when a person cruelly says say "That was really good" but means the opposite. But that's well covered at What exactly is verbal irony?. – Edwin Ashworth Jul 27 '22 at 11:31
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1Sarcasm/irony might be the root of something like wicked or sick for "really good" but it's more likely to be young people's delight in perverse difference. An example or two in the question would be really helpful. – Andrew Leach Jul 27 '22 at 11:45
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I once heard a young lady describe a young gentleman as “so cool he’s hot”. – Peter Jul 27 '22 at 13:18