2. / Columbia Encyclopedia
  3. / Literature and the Arts
  4. / Language, Linguistics, and Literary Terms
  5. / Literature: General
  6. / litotes

litotes

litotes līˈtətēzˌ [key], figure of speech in which a statement is made by indicating the negative of its opposite, e.g., “not many” meaning “a few.” A form of irony, litotes is meant to emphasize by understating. Its opposite is hyperbole.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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