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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.[1]

Some authors treat and use antiphrasis just as irony, euphemism or litotes.[2]

When the antiphrasal use is very common, the word can become an auto-antonym,[3] having opposite meanings depending on context. For example, Spanish dichoso[4] originally meant "fortunate, blissful" as in tierra dichosa, "fortunate land", but it acquired the ironic and colloquial meaning of "infortunate, bothersome" as in ¡Dichosas moscas!, "Damned flies!".

Etymology

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Antiphrasis is a Greek word which means 'opposite words'.[5][6]

Antiphrasis as euphemism

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Some euphemisms are antiphrasis, such as "Eumenides" 'the gracious ones' to mean the Erinyes, deities of vengeance.

Examples

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  • "Take your time, we've got all day", meaning "hurry up, we don't have all day".
  • "Tell me about it", in the sense of "don't bother, I already know".
  • "Great!", an exclamation uttered when something unpleasant had happened or is about to happen.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Dupriez, Bernard Marie (1991). A dictionary of literary devices: gradus, A-Z. Translated by Halsall, Albert W. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 49–50. ISBN 978-0-8020-2756-6.
  2. ^ Merry, Bruce (2004). Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-30813-0.
  3. ^ Rubio Hancock, Jaime (28 August 2016). "19 autoantónimos: palabras que significan una cosa y la contraria". Verne (in Spanish). Ediciones El País. Retrieved 7 May 2023. Como explica Fundéu, a veces son el resultado de los usos irónicos y en ocasiones, de las antífrasis,
  4. ^ Prieto García-Seco, David (28 May 2021). "Rinconete. Lengua. «Huésped» o significar una cosa y la contraria". Centro Virtual Cervantes (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Antiphrasis - Definition and Examples of Antiphrasis". Literary Devices. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  6. ^ Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham (1882). Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of Difficult Words. London: Ward, Lock, & Co. p. 26.

📚 Artikel Terkait di Wikipedia

Semantic change

in a taxonomy, e.g., the confusion of mouse and rat in some dialects. Antiphrasis: Change based on a contrastive aspect of the concepts, e.g., perfect

Litotes

disappointed on the best side') means 'to be pleasantly surprised'. Antiphrasis Hyperbole Perseus Project Il.24.159 "litotes". Oxford English Dictionary

Apophasis

the cupboard for twenty days, because then it would turn into wine." Antiphrasis Apophatic theology Argument from ignorance Argument from silence Elephant

Irony's Edge

subject of irony. Hutcheon rejects the traditional definition of irony as antiphrasis, or saying the opposite of what one means. Instead, she suggests that

De doctrina Christiana

be interpreted figuratively. Understanding tropes such as irony and antiphrasis will also be beneficial for interpretation. The final section of Book

Affirmation and negation

meaning of the corresponding negative, or vice versa. For examples see antiphrasis and sarcasm. For the use of double negations or similar as understatements

Exercises in Style

derrière) Proper Names Rhyming Slang (Loucherbem) Back Slang (Javanais) Antiphrasis Dog Latin More or Less Opera English (Italianismes) For ze Frrensh (Poor

Christine de Pizan

strategy by writing against the grain of her meaning, also known as antiphrasis. By 1405, Christine had completed her most famous literary works, The