synecdoche

[si-nek-duh-kee] / sɪˈnɛk də ki /

NOUN

figure of speech

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 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.

The situation was a perfect synecdoche for Hegseth’s self-inflicted Sispyphean task of trying to be a big man.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026

The near-perfect overlay of the religious image with a political image is a visual synecdoche for the Revolution’s replacement of Christianity with the cults of Nature and Reason.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

In Darlington’s Devon neighborhood, the synecdoche for global habitat destruction is the arrival of a sign in a soon-to-be-former farm field: “Site Acquired for Development.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 6, 2023

Baseball is practically a synecdoche for summer—the season of shared, relaxing stillness in the sun.

From Slate • May 22, 2020

Our intellectual sin is synecdoche, the putting a part truth for a whole truth.

From A Hero and Some Other Folks by Quayle, William A. (William Alfred)

Vocabulary lists containing synecdoche

Poetry: Literary Devices

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Rhetoric

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The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 4

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