Litotes is a figure of speech in which the description
of something is achieved by negating its opposite.
Ever wonder what the opposite of hyperbole is? Me neither! I was always too easily distracted by, well, the hyperbole. But, as long as we’re here, let’s, go ahead and put a finer point on it. Litotes, the opposite of hyperbole, occurs by negating the opposite of its meaning. If hyperbole is overstating something by a ton (heh!) then litotes shine by tarnishing the opposite. (I know, the ‘S’ is confusing, but it belongs there, and not in a plural way)
Example: the comment “not bad” (meaning good) is litotes-ic (I’m pretty sure I just made up the word litotes-ic.)
I know what you’re thinking — I’ll never use a lito-whatsit word-thing, figure of speech. But chances are you already have. Example: have you ever said (or written) something along the lines of: he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed? She’s a couple of tacos short of a combination plate. That movie seriously didn’t suck.
Uh huh. Yep. All litotes. If you think of more, post ’em to the comments. It could be fun.
3 Responses to Litotes: the Not Un-handy Literary Trope