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Litotes

/laɪˈtəʊ.tiːz/

An ironic figure of speech whereby something is stated by denying its opposite, particularly the negation of a negative quality to say something positive.

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📖 Definitions of "Litotes"

noun

1
An ironic figure of speech whereby something is stated by denying its opposite, particularly the negation of a negative quality to say something positive.

🔄 Synonyms of "Litotes"

1 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

Word	Definition
meiosisnoun	(usually uncountable, cytology) Cell division of a diploid cell into four haploid cells, which develop to produce gametes.

💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Litotes"

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
meiosisnoun	(usually uncountable, cytology) Cell division of a diploid cell into four haploid cells, which develop to produce gametes.
enantiosisnoun	(rhetoric) A figure of speech by which what is to be understood affirmatively is stated negatively, and vice versa; affirmation by contraries.
antistasisnoun	(rhetoric) The repetition of a word in an opposing sense.
law of double negationnoun	(logic) The statement that the negation of the negation of A implies A, for any proposition A. Stated symbolically: ¬¬A→A.
oxymoronnoun	(rhetoric) A figure of speech in which two words or phrases with opposing meanings are used together intentionally for effect.
contrastnoun	(countable) A difference between two objects, people or concepts.
antithesisnoun	A proposition that is the diametric opposite of some other proposition.
antimetabolenoun	(rhetoric) The technique of repeating a phrase while reversing the order of certain elements or its grammatical structure, as a form of juxtaposition.
dirimens copulationoun	(logic, rhetoric) Mentioning a balancing or opposing fact to prevent the argument from being one-sided or unqualified.
homoioptotonnoun	(rhetoric, poetry) A rhetorical figure in which the several parts of a sentence end with the same case, or inflection generally.
dissimilenoun	(archaic, rhetoric) Comparison or illustration by contraries.
hypocatastasisnoun	(uncountable, rhetoric) The implication or declaration of a comparison that does not directly invoke both objects of the comparison.
inversenoun	An inverted state: a state in which something has been turned (properly) upside down or (loosely) inside out or backwards.
metaphornoun	(uncountable, rhetoric) The use of a word, phrase, concept, or set of concepts to refer to something other than its literal meaning, invoking an implicit similarity between the thing described and what is denoted by the word, etc., that is used.
contrapositivenoun	(logic) The inverse of the converse of a given logical implication.
antithetnoun	(archaic) An antithetical or contrasted statement.
notional opposite	—
false dichotomynoun	(rhetoric) A situation in which two alternative points of view are presented as the only options, when others are available.
syncrisisnoun	(rhetoric) A figure of speech in which opposite things, people etc. are compared.
complementary antonymnoun	(linguistics, philosophy, semantics) One of a pair of words wherein affirmative use of one entails the negative of the other with no gradability.