AP Lang Figurative Language Devices

Cliché

An overused expression that has lost its originality. Example: "Time heals all wounds."

Idiom

An expression used by a particular group that often has a figurative meaning. Example: "Break a leg."

Apostrophe

Addressing someone or something that cannot respond. Example: "O Death, where is thy sting?"

Oxymoron

A two-word phrase that seems contradictory. Example: "Deafening silence."

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth. Example: "The only constant is change."

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as". Example: "Her smile was bright like the sun."

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as". Example: "Her voice was music to his ears."

Analogy

A deeper comparison that explains something by showing similarities in multiple ways. Example: "Running a business is like growing a garden—you plant seeds, nurture, and be patient."

Synecdoche

When a part represents the whole or the whole represents a part. Example: "All hands on deck" (hands

Metonymy

Using a related object or concept to stand for something else. Example: "The crown has decided" (crown

Meiosis

Understatement; describing something as less important than it is. Example: "It’s just a scratch" (for a big cut)

Euphemism

Using softer or kinder words to describe something harsh. Example: "Passed away" instead of "died."

Antithesis

Juxtaposition of opposite ideas in a balanced structure. Example: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Litotes

A type of understatement using a negative to express a positive. Example: "Not bad" meaning "pretty good."

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human objects or ideas. Example: "The wind whispered through the trees."

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for emphasis or effect. Example: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

Alliteration

Repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in words close together. Example: "She sells seashells by the seashore."