English
Euphemism
A mild or indirect word or phrase used to replace one that is too harsh or blunt.
Antithesis
A rhetorical device that contrasts two opposing ideas in a parallel structure.
Idiom
A phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning.
Understatement
A figure of speech where a situation is deliberately made to seem less important than it is.
Metonymy
A figure of speech where one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.
Hyperbole
An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally.
Metaphor
A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.
Cliché
A phrase or opinion that is overused and lacks original thought.
Simile
A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.
Juxtaposition
The act of placing two contrasting elements side by side to highlight their differences.
Paradox
A seemingly contradictory statement that may reveal a deeper truth.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms.
Litotes
A figure of speech that uses understatement by negating the opposite, often to express modesty or irony.
Personification
Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman objects or abstract concepts.
Analogy
A comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part of something represents the whole, or vice versa.
Apostrophe
A rhetorical device in which the speaker addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or an inanimate object.
Meiosis
A rhetorical understatement, often used to diminish the significance of something.