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Figure of speech like "not unlike"
Answer for the clue "Figure of speech like "not unlike" ", 7 letters:
litotes
Alternative clues for the word litotes
Word definitions for litotes in dictionaries
WordNet
Word definitions in WordNet
n. understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary); "saying `I was not a little upset' when you mean `I was very upset' is an example of litotes" [syn: meiosis ]
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
rhetorical figure in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its opposite, from Greek litotes , literally "plainness, simplicity," from litos "smooth, plain, small, meager," from PIE root *(s)lei- "slimy, sticky, slippery" (hence "smooth"); ...
Wiktionary
Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. (context rhetoric English) A figure of speech in which the speaker emphasizes the magnitude of a statement by denying its opposite; a figure of speech in which understatement is used with negation to express a positive attribute; a form of irony
Usage examples of litotes.
With no small joy we have observed the litotes bushes, once more in flower down by the shores of our literal sea.