ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Antiphrasis

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ænˈtɪfrəsɪs/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Antiphrasis is a noun meaning (rhetoric) Use of a word or phrase in a sense opposite of its literal meaning, especially for ironic or humorous effect.

Meaning

(rhetoric) Use of a word or phrase in a sense opposite of its literal meaning, especially for ironic or humorous effect.

Example Sentences

When they called him “bad as hell”, they weren’t calling him evil. It was antiphrasis.

Word Forms

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include antiphrase, periphrasis, periphrase, irony, ampliatio, paronomasia.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.