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View synonyms for litotes
litotes
[ lahy-tuh-teez, lit-uh-, lahy-toh-teez ]
noun
, Rhetoric.
, plural li·to·tes.
- understatement, especially that in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary, as in “not bad at all.”
litotes
/ ˈlaɪtəʊˌtiːz /
noun
- understatement for rhetorical effect, esp when achieved by using negation with a term in place of using an antonym of that term, as in "She was not a little upset" for "She was extremely upset."
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Word History and Origins
Origin of litotes1
First recorded in 1650–60; from New Latin, from Greek lītótēs “plainness, simplicity, understatement (in rhetoric),” derivative of lītós “smooth, plain, simple”
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Word History and Origins
Origin of litotes1
C17: from Greek, from litos small
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