Antiphrasis

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

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

Antiphrasis as euphemism

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

Examples

"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.

Notes

^ 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.
^ Merry, Bruce (2004). Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-30813-0.
^ 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,
^ 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.
^ "Antiphrasis - Definition and Examples of Antiphrasis". Literary Devices. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
^ Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham (1882). Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of Difficult Words. London: Ward, Lock, & Co. p. 26.

[dupriez-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.

[Verne-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,

[Prieto-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.

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v t e Figures of speech
Schemes	Alliteration Anadiplosis Anaphora Antimetabole Antithesis Aposiopesis Assonance Asyndeton Chiasmus Climax Anti Consonance Epanalepsis Epiphrase Epistrophe Epizeuxis Hendiadys Homeoteleuton Hypallage Hyperbaton Hysteron proteron Isocolon Parallelism Polyptoton Polysyndeton Spoonerism Symploce Tmesis Zeugma
Tropes	Allegory Allusion Antiphrasis Antonomasia Aphorism Apostrophe Catachresis Ecphonesis Ekphrasis Epanorthosis Hyperbole Adynaton Dysphemism Euphemism Meiosis Innuendo Irony Apophasis Sarcasm Litotes Metaphor Metonymy Oxymoron Personification Pleonasm Procatalepsis Pun Antanaclasis Rhetorical question Simile Synecdoche Tautology

Etymology

Antiphrasis as euphemism

Examples

See also

Notes