Definitions

figure of speech

[fig-yer uhv speech] / ˈfɪg jər əv ˈspitʃ /

NOUN

non-literal communication

Synonyms

WEAK

adumbration allegory alliteration allusion analogue analogy anaphora anticlimax antistrophe antithesis aposiopesis apostrophe asyndeton bathos comparison conceit device echoism ellipsis 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

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figure of speech

But it’s certainly more than a figure of speech.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2024

Which word means a figure of speech that involves exaggeration for emphasis or effect?

From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2023

The term “deafening silence” is even a common figure of speech.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 10, 2023

"There are factions. People believe different things. It was a figure of speech and that's how it was intended," he told WJXT-TV.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2022

For them, “going home” is more a figure of speech than a realistic option.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

figure of speech

Example Sentences

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