Reading Time: 5 minutesWhat is Socratic irony? Definition & Meaning Socratic irony is a deliberate rhetorical method in which a speaker—most famously Socrates—pretends to be ignorant in order to encourage another person to explain their beliefs. Through careful questioning, the speaker then exposes contradictions, false assumptions, or incomplete reasoning in those beliefs. Socrates allegedly used Socratic irony to… Continue reading What is Socratic Irony? Definition and Examples from Film.