antiphrasis
About 0.01 uses per million words.
Meaning
- noun Use of a word or phrase in a sense opposite of its literal meaning, especially for ironic or humorous effect.
When they called him “bad as hell”, they weren’t calling him evil. It was antiphrasis.
Similar words
antiphrase periphrasis periphrase irony ampliatio paronomasia adnominatio agnomination apophasis acyrologia
Often followed by
and is of or
Word family
antiphrases
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