Antiphrasis

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 dichoso^[4] originally meant "fortunate, blissful" as in tierra dichosa, "fortunate land", but it acquired the ironic and colloquial meaning of "infortunate, bothersome" as in ¡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. Dupriez, Bernard Marie (1991). A dictionary of literary devices: gradus, A-Z. Translated by Halsall, Albert W. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 49–50. ISBN 978-0-8020-2756-6.
2. Merry, Bruce (2004). Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-30813-0.
3. Rubio Hancock, Jaime (28 August 2016). "19 autoantónimos: palabras que significan una cosa y la contraria". Verne (in Spanish). Ediciones El País. Retrieved 7 May 2023. Como explica Fundéu, a veces son el resultado de los usos irónicos y en ocasiones, de las antífrasis,
4. Prieto García-Seco, David (28 May 2021). "Rinconete. Lengua. «Huésped» o significar una cosa y la contraria". Centro Virtual Cervantes (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
5. "Antiphrasis - Definition and Examples of Antiphrasis". Literary Devices. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
6. Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham (1882). Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of Difficult Words. London: Ward, Lock, & Co. p. 26.