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Definition of Litotes in English :

Define Litotes in English

Litotes meaning in English

Meaning of Litotes in English

Pronunciation of Litotes in English

Litotes pronunciation in English

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Litotes

see synonyms of litotes

Noun

1. litotes, meiosis

understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary)

Example Sentences:
'saying I was not a little upset' when you mean I was very upset' is an example of litotes'

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Litotes

see synonyms of litotes
noun plural -tes
understatement for rhetorical effect, esp when achieved by using negation with a term in place of using an antonym of that term, as in "She was not a little upset" for "She was extremely upset".

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Litotes

see synonyms of litotes
noun
understatement for effect, esp. such understatement in which something is expressed by a negation of the contrary (Ex.: not a few regrets)

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Litotes

see synonyms of litotes
n. pl. litotes
A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite, as in This is no small problem.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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