Antiphrasis Explained

Antiphrasis is the rhetorical device of saying the opposite of what is actually meant in such a way that it is obvious what the true intention is.^[1]

Some authors treat and use antiphrasis just as irony, euphemism or litotes.^[2]

When the antiphrasal use is very common, the word can become an auto-antonym,^[3] having opposite meanings depending on context.For example, Spanish Spanish; Castilian: dichoso^[4] originally meant "fortunate, blissful" as in Spanish; Castilian: tierra dichosa, "fortunate land", but it acquired the ironic and colloquial meaning of "infortunate, bothersome" as in Spanish; Castilian: ¡Dichosas moscas!, "Damned flies!".

Etymology

Antiphrasis is a Greek word which means 'opposite words'.^{[5] [6]}

Antiphrasis as euphemism

Some euphemisms are antiphrasis, such as "Eumenides" 'the gracious ones' to mean the Erinyes, deities of vengeance.

Examples

• "Take your time, we've got all day", meaning "hurry up, we don't have all day".
• "Tell me about it", in the sense of "don't bother, I already know".
• "Great!", an exclamation uttered when something unpleasant had happened or is about to happen.

See also

• Irony
• Litotes
• Sarcasm
• Satire

Notes

1. Book: Dupriez, Bernard Marie . A dictionary of literary devices: gradus, A-Z . 1991 . University of Toronto Press . 978-0-8020-2756-6 . Toronto . 49–50 . Halsall . Albert W..
2. Book: Merry, Bruce . Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature . 2004 . Greenwood Publishing Group . 978-0-313-30813-0 . en.
3. News: Rubio Hancock . Jaime . 28 August 2016 . 19 autoantónimos: palabras que significan una cosa y la contraria . 7 May 2023 . Verne . Ediciones El País . es . Como explica Fundéu, a veces son el resultado de los usos irónicos y en ocasiones, de las antífrasis,.
4. Web site: Prieto García-Seco . David . 2021-05-28 . Rinconete. Lengua. «Huésped» o significar una cosa y la contraria . 7 May 2023 . Centro Virtual Cervantes . es.
5. Web site: 2014-05-09 . Antiphrasis - Definition and Examples of Antiphrasis . 2021-04-04 . Literary Devices . en-US.
6. Book: Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham . Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of Difficult Words . 1882 . Ward, Lock, & Co. . London . en . 26.