Meaning

(grammar) A word that names an object from a single characteristic of it or of a closely related object; a word used in metonymy..

Definitions by Sense

1. (grammar) A word that names an object from a single characteristic of it or of a closely related object; a word used in metonymy.
2. (by extension) A concept, idea, or word used to represent, typify, or stand in for a broader set of ideas.

Example Sentences

Calling a government a "city hall" is using a metonym.

...to say that "New York was thrown into a state of great excitement," when we mean the inhabitants of New York, is technically to use the metonym of putting "the container for the thing contained."

She not only outlines the devastating effects of seferberlik but also highlights the changing meaning of this term - as it acquired a civilian dimension in its Arabic rendition (safar barlik) - and its potency as a metonym for the war as a whole.

As you can tell, most tragedy-associated metonyms take on the location of the event as opposed to the time, possibly because our minds like to place horrific events in the past. We want to forget troubling events, so we reserve date metonyms for things like weddings, anniversaries, or celebratory events like the Fourth of July (celebratory, at least, if you’re on the right side of history). But there is one huge exception: “9/11.” […] Using a metonym like “New York City” or “Manhattan” rings hollow as to the geography. A date doesn’t have to deal with that issue.

See also: symbol, model, microcosm, archetype, exemplar, proxy

Chapter 1, using the railway as a metonym, explored the relationship between past and present, and argued that diachronic, or historical, time was dissolved in the proliferation of present moments, or synchronic time.

Word Forms

• metonyms

Synonyms for metonym

Related Words

When Should You Use Metonym?

Use metonym when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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