"Honesty with the volume cranked up," per George Saunders (5)

I believe the answer is:

irony

(Other definitions for irony that I've seen before include "It could be hard" , "Might this be dramatic" , "Paradoxical sarcasm" , "sarcastic wit" , "form of sarcasm" .)

I've seen this clue in The New York Times.

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