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Conceit

An ingenious and fanciful notion expressed through an elaborate analogy, highlighting a striking parallel between two dissimilar things.

Figurative Language

Writing that employs figures of speech, such as metaphor, irony, and simile, rather than literal language.

Metaphor

A figurative use of language that makes a comparison without using comparative terms like as, like, or than.

Mixed Metaphors

The mingling of one metaphor with another that is incongruous, often leading to absurdity.

Extended Metaphor

An implied analogy carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem, maintaining a consistent comparison.

Pathetic Fallacy

A type of personification that attributes human emotions to inanimate objects of nature.

Personification

A metaphor that gives human characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract ideas.

Synecdoche

A form of metaphor where a part signifies the whole, such as referring to "boots on the ground" for troops.

Irony

The contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning, often expressed through hyperbole and understatement.

Verbal Irony

A figure of speech where the actual intent is expressed in words that carry the opposite meaning.

Sarcasm

A type of irony where praise is used to insult, often with the intent to hurt.

Hyperbole

A deliberate and extravagant exaggeration used for serious or comic effect.

Overstatement

A reasonable exaggeration that emphasizes a point.

Understatement

A form of irony that represents something as much less than it is.

Litotes

Ironic understatement where an affirmative is expressed by negating its contrary.

Simile

A directly expressed comparison using "like," "as," or "than."

Pun

A play on words that sound similar but have different meanings, used for serious or humorous effects.

Paradox

A situation that appears contradictory but reveals a truth upon inspection.

Oxymoron

A form of paradox that combines contradictory terms into a single expression.

Symbol

Something that is both itself and a sign of something else, often used in literature.

Imagery

The sensory details and figurative language of a literary work that evoke images.

Synesthesia

A sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality.

Alliteration

The repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds at the beginnings of words.

Assonance

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in a phrase.

Consonance

The repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words, typically at the end.

Cacophony

A harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds or tones, either accidental or intentional.

Euphony

A style characterized by pleasant combinations of words that are harmonious to the ear.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words whose sounds suggest their meanings, like "buzz" or "hiss."