ellipsis

[ih-lip-sis] / ɪˈlɪp sɪs /

NOUN

figure of speech

Synonyms

WEAK

adumbration allegory alliteration allusion analogue analogy anaphora anticlimax antistrophe antithesis aposiopesis apostrophe asyndeton bathos comparison conceit device echoism euphemism euphuism exaggeration expression flourish flower hyperbole image imagery irony litotes malapropism manner of speaking metaphor metonymy onomatopoeia ornament oxymoron parable paradox parallel personification proteron rhetoric sarcasm satire simile stylistic device synecdoche trope tropology turn of phrase understatement way of speaking

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Though the title jams everybody together in one breathless, unpunctuated rush, this is very much a movie about distance within families; an ellipsis between each word might have been apt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

Roberts created it with an ellipsis that edited out the actual law and created what can only be seen as a deliberate misapplication of precedent.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2025

It is used as you might use an ellipsis when haggling with a dude on Craigslist about the price of his used NordicTrack and you’re still 15 bucks apart.

From Washington Post • Oct. 1, 2022

The exhibition functions more like an ellipsis, an open-ended invitation.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2022

Here we have an adverb, unproblematically, modifying the verb continue, an ellipsis for continue to be.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Vocabulary lists containing ellipsis

The Vocabulary.com Top 1000

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Punctuation Matters

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ASVAB Word Knowledge

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