Catachresis is a bold, often startling use of language where a word is used in a way that dramatically changes…
Uxorious describes a person, typically a husband, who is excessively fond of or affectionately submissive toward their wife. It's often…
Pedantic means being overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning, often emphasizing the minutiae of knowledge rather…
Foreshadowing can appear in subtle clues or explicit warnings within a dialogue, setting descriptions, or through a character’s thoughts or…
Oratory is the art of speaking. And Oratorical relates to the art or practice of public speaking. An oratorical speech…
Adynaton. Pronounced ad-uh-NAY-ton, is a form of hyperbole that describes something so exaggerated, it's impossible. It's like saying, 'You'll get…
Antimetabole—pronounced an-ti-muh-TAB-uh-lee—involves repeating words in successive clauses, but in reversed order. Listen to Winston S. Churchill’s famous example: 'This is…
Chiasmus, pronounced ky-AZ-mus. Chiasmus is a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by…
Circumlocution involves using unnecessarily wordy and indirect language to describe something that could be expressed more succinctly. It’s often used…
Anecdote. Technically, an anecdote is a short narrative about a real incident or person, usually intended to illustrate or support…
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