an understatement in which a positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite. Sentence Examples. , Using litotes, the woman said, “the weather isn’t very nice today” during the tornado. Certain uses of the figure are now fairly common expressions, such as "It's not cheap" (meaning "It's expensive"), "It's not hard" (meaning "It's easy"), and "It's not Examples of Litotes A litotes is a nice way for authors to “beat around the bush.” They can touch upon the indelicate in an unobtrusive and inoffensive way. Litotes is a form of understatement, always deliberate and with the intention of emphasis. (i.e., It's This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. / ˈlaɪ.tə.tiːz / the use of a negative statement in order to emphasize a positive meaning, for example "a not inconsiderable amount of money (= a considerable amount of money) " SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases Linguistic terms & linguistic style litotes meaning: 1. the use of a negative statement in order to emphasize a positive meaning, for example "a not…. Maercks' radical, 'outside the box' practices, but this may be litotes. He gives a whole host of examples in his book Classical English Take the Quiz: Litotes Arent That Bad. is a literary term for a figure of speech that uses negative terms to express a positive statement, The Japanese woman used litotes to phrase her true thoughts in a nice way. Litotes (lye-tuh-teez) occurs when a speaker avoids making an affirmative claim directly and instead denies its opposite. However, in most contexts it's an understatement. You've got the Thus, through the resulting litotes that Utopia is “not imperfect”, More is on some level implying its perfection. The Poet uses litotes as a literary technique in the sentence That [sword] was not useless to the warrior now from Beowulf. Litotes in Sentence Saying `I was not a little upset\' when you mean `I was very upset\' is an example of litotes. For instance, in the sentence, \"Ten thousand dollars is not Litotes is defined as 'an ironical understatement in which affirmative is expressed by the negation of the opposite'. So it’s a kind of understatement or assertion made by negating an opposite: This is no small matter = This is significant. This is mainly done through double negatives. The sentence could also be written, “You will be glad you hired him.” Or, with the other above example, rather than “I don’t hate it,” it could be phrased as “I like it.” Using the negative wording adds more nuance to the sentence and might imply, such as in the second example, that someone is not fully convinced by whatever “it” is, but they don’t completely … Litotes is an understatement in which a positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite. Learn more. “Well, it’s not a Picasso,” Eric said while phrasing a … like an understatement in that it makes the intended meaning of the sentence seem less significant. Yet this definition fails to explain instances of litotes, or understatement, which is often classified as a kind of irony. Litotes is an figure of speech that is an understatement for effect. Sentence with the word litotes At first called litotes or meiosis, such understatement came to be called irony, at least by the end of the sixteenth century. litotes in a sentence English words and Examples of use Example Sentences for "litotes" For instance, "I do not disagree" could be said to mean, "I certainly agree" if stated in an affirmative manner; this is an example of litotes. There were also what I perceived to be a few peculiar, With the meaning " I completely agree ", Lowth would have been referring to, Critic William Sylvester states that the metaphors in Angelou's poetry serve as " coding ", or, These points are denied negatives, denied positives ( probably the most used ), creating, These points are denied negatives, denied positives ( probably the most used ), creating litotes without negating anything, and creating, That construction is actually notable because, "Obama has turned into President Rodney Dangerfield : He doesn't get no respect . Sentences Mobile. Litotes is a form of both conversational implicature and verbal irony. Old Norse had several types of litotes. “saying `I was not a little upset' when you mean `I was very upset' is an example of litotes ” Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. First one must register his anti-Idealism, his antipathy toward the idea becoming metonymical litotesfor such. How to say litotes in English? Examples of Understatement in a sentence Saying he had gained a little weight was an understatement since he had put on thirty just last month. Using litotes, the woman said, “the weather isn’t very nice today” during the tornado. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. At first called litotes or meiosis, such understatement came to be called irony, at least by the end of the sixteenth century. In this figure of speech, the usages are intentional, ironical and provide emphasis to the words. I am trying to find a poem with litotes in it for a poetry project. … Sentence Examples Yet this definition fails to explain instances of litotes, or understatement, which is often classified as a kind of irony. Litotes is an understatement used to emphasise the effect of ideas expressed in a phrase, sometimes by using the negative of a word to mean the opposite, e.g., She is not litotes. 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. This construction is technically called litotes; it's a form of deliberate understatement that is often used comically. The answer is "The author uses this example of a litotes to emphasize . A person may use litotes by simply turning the word he wants to convey his meaning into a negative and then negating that negative. 1000万語収録！Weblio辞書 - Litotes とは【意味】緩叙(法)... 【例文】saying `I was not a little upset' when you mean `I was very upset' is an example of litotes... 「Litotes」の意味・例文・用例ならWeblio英和・和英辞書 Pronunciation of litotes with 3 audio pronunciations, 3 synonyms, 1 meaning, 3 translations, 1 sentence and more for litotes. The rhetorical term for this is litotes. Thank you for contributing Congrats! It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. For example, the phrase “I don’t hate it” reflects use of litotes. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In reality, Utopia may be better than England (at least on the levels at which More is critiquing society), but it is This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. As nouns the difference between litotes and hyperbole is that litotes is (rhetoric) 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 while hyperbole is (uncountable) extreme exaggeration or … Let’s explore more examples: Her cooking isn’t terrible, exactly. In the book Rhetorica ad Herennium litotes is addressed as a member of The Figures of Thought known as deminutio , or understatement. Often this amounts to a double negative. The use of litotes is common in French. He’s not the worst = He’s OK. Litotes definition, understatement, especially that in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary, as in “not bad at all.” See more. Litotes can be used to establish ethos, or credibility, by expressing modesty or downplaying one's accomplishments to gain the audience's favor. This is an example. , “Well, it’s not a Picasso,” Eric said while phrasing a litotes to describe the horrible painting. Litotes is a device used to state an affirmative without direct use of affirmative wording. Litotes is a technique that communicates in a positive message through a negative structure, we can see in the sentence the use of was not, but the general meaning is a positive one saying that the sword was in fact really useful. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In this case, juxtaposing the negative words “don’t” and “hate” function together to indicate the opposite meaning or affirmative. These cookies do not store any personal information. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. ( For readers too young to remember Dangerfield, that's not, The metaphors in her poetry serve as " coding ", or, Elliptical, clipped, casual _ not always, but usually _ rapid-fire words in a grammar-impaired zone where spelling is erratic, participial clauses rare, rhetorical devices such as, Sylvester says that Angelou uses the same technique in " Letter to an Aspiring Junkie ", in which understatement contained in the repeated phrase " nothing happens " is a. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. A common grievance about litotes is that, since it avoids directness, precision, and clarity, it can obscure what the writer really means to say. in a sentence. Using double negatives in a sentence such as It's not unlikely that I will have chocolate for lunch is an example of _____. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. First one must register his anti-Idealism, his antipathy toward the idea becoming metonymical litotesfor such. Examples of Litotes in a sentence The Japanese woman used litotes to phrase her true thoughts in a nice way. , $MMT = window.$MMT || {}; $MMT.cmd = $MMT.cmd || [];$MMT.cmd.push(function(){ $MMT.display.slots.push(["45ba4f61-76ac-4b3d-94d4-c9019d2ebe3c"]); }), $MMT = window.$MMT || {}; $MMT.cmd = $MMT.cmd || [];$MMT.cmd.push(function(){ $MMT.display.slots.push(["418b1e7b-a189-47b4-952a-43e52a926ad5"]); }), $MMT = window.$MMT || {}; $MMT.cmd = $MMT.cmd || [];$MMT.cmd.push(function(){ $MMT.display.slots.push(["9b588b9a-598a-47f4-bc83-ba2fd303e5df"]); }). Litotes is defined by Macmillan Dictionary as ‘the use of a negative statement to say something positive, for example by describing something as “not unreasonable”’. An example sentence would be: She uses litotes to make people understand her point of view. To say that getting a home loan with bad credit is a small challenge would be a huge understatement. The classic example of litotes is the phrase “not bad.” By negating the word “bad,” you're saying that something is good, or at least OK. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website.

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