What is it called when someone says something but means the opposite?

Antiphrasis is the rhetorical device of saying the opposite of what is actually meant in such a way that it is obvious what the true intention is. Some authors treat and use antiphrasis just as irony, euphemism or litotes.Antiphrasis is the rhetorical device of saying the opposite of what is actually meant in such a way that it is obvious what the true intention is. Some authors treat and use antiphrasis just as irony, euphemism or litotes

litotes

In rhetoric, litotes (/laɪˈtoʊtiːz/, /ˈlaɪtətiːz/ or US: /ˈlɪtətiːz/), also known classically as antenantiosis or moderatour, is a figure of speech and form of verbal irony in which understatement is used to emphasize a point by stating a negative to further affirm a positive, often incorporating double negatives for ...

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What is it called when you say one thing but mean another?

Irony is "the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning." Inside jokes told subtly, so that outsiders don't even know they are told, creates irony. Likewise, if I say something to you intending you to understand it one way, even though I mean it another way, I am speaking ironically.

What do you call someone who says something and does the opposite?

asserting the contrary or opposite; contradicting; inconsistent; logically opposite: contradictory statements. Hypocrite would be a good word if the man in question is malicious.

What is it called when something means the opposite?

An antonym is a word that is opposite in meaning to another. Contronyms are also known as Janus words.

What is it called when you do the opposite of what you are told?

"Contra-" usually means "against," and to contradict is to go against or say the opposite of what someone else is doing or saying. Sometimes to contradict is to frustrate with words, like when one person says "The sky is blue" and another says "No, it's azure."

34 related questions found

How is apology a contronym?

Apology can be a tricky contronym, since when you usually hear this word, it's because someone is saying sorry for something they did. However, apology can also be a defense of something that someone did. For example: The politician had to make a public apology for lying.

What do you call someone who goes against the norm?

A rebel is a person who resists or defies rules or norms or rises up against the powers that be.

What is the literary term for two opposite words together?

An oxymoron is a figure of speech: a creative approach to language that plays with meaning and the use of words in a non-literal sense. This literary device combines words with contradictory definitions to coin a new word or phrase.

What is it called when you refer to something as something else?

Metaphor says: Something IS something else.

What's an example of a synecdoche?

A classic example of synecdoche is the use of the term hands to mean “workers” (as in “all hands on deck”), or the noun sails to mean “ships.” Synecdoche is also sometimes used in the names of sports teams, e.g., the White Sox, the Blue Jackets.

What's the opposite of synecdoche?

Meaning relationships. Metonymy takes many different forms. Synecdoche uses a part to refer to the whole, or the whole to refer to the part. Metalepsis uses a familiar word or a phrase in a new context.

Can a person be paradoxical?

Paradoxical personality involves a whole range of personality styles, which are available to be used in different contexts. Hence static traits lose prominence and behaviours fluctuate around a multiplicity of polarized attributes.

What is an example of metonymy?

Purpose of Metonymy

A famous example of metonymy is, "The pen is mightier than the sword" from Edward Bulwer Lytton's play Cardinal Richelieu. This sentence has two metonyms: "Pen" stands for "the written word." "Sword" stands for "military aggression."

What is the difference between paradox and oxymoron?

An oxymoron is the conjunction of two words with meanings that contradict each other. While a paradox is the opposition of ideas or themes, an oxymoron is a contradiction merely between words.

What is an example of a rebel?

An example of a rebel is a person involved in a political uprising. An example of a rebel is a teenager who is defying his parents. One who engages in armed resistance against the established government of one's country. A person who resists authority or convention.

What do you call a person who doesn't like to socialize?

Colloquially, the terms 'asocial' and 'antisocial' get used interchangeably, to describe someone who isn't motivated by social interaction.

What is a nonconformist attitude?

a person who refuses to conform, as to established customs, attitudes, or ideas.

Is Janus a word?

Janus, the Roman god of gates and doorways and of beginnings and endings.

Is literally a contronym?

So, when a person says "I was literally dying of laughter," they are using the word "literally" to show that they are using exaggerated language. If you compare this use of "literally" with the first definition of "literally," you will notice that "literally" has become a contronym.

What is an example of oxymoron?

An oxymoron is a self-contradicting word or group of words (as in Shakespeare's line from Romeo and Juliet, "Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!"). A paradox is a statement or argument that seems to be contradictory or to go against common sense, but that is yet perhaps still true—for example, "less is more."

What is the example of hyperbole?

Examples of hyperbole are: They ran like greased lightning. He's got tons of money. Her brain is the size of a pea.

What is a Metanym?

Definition of metanym

: a generic name rejected because based on a type species congeneric with the type of a previously published genus.

What is personality paradox?

Consistency paradox is the observation that a human being's personality tends to remain the same over time, while their behavior can change in different situations.

What is the difference between juxtaposition and paradox?

Main Difference – Paradox vs Juxtaposition

Juxtaposing is a literary device in which two opposing elements are placed side by side in order to highlight their similarities and differences. Paradox is a phrase or sentence where two contrasting ideas are used in order to reveal a hidden truth.

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