apophasis

a·poph·a·sis

A a

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [uh-pof-uh-sis]
- /əˈpɒf ə sɪs/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [uh-pof-uh-sis]
- /əˈpɒf ə sɪs/

Definitions of apophasis word

noun apophasis the device of mentioning a subject by stating that it will not be mentioned 3
noun apophasis Rhetoric. denial of one's intention to speak of a subject that is at the same time named or insinuated, as “I shall not mention Caesar's avarice, nor his cunning, nor his morality.”. 1
noun apophasis Theology. knowledge, understanding, or description of God through negative statements about qualities and characteristics that God does not possess, as "God is not confined by space or time.". See also negative theology. 1
noun apophasis (rhetoric) An allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned. 1

See all 4 definitions of apophasis

Information block about the term

Origin of apophasis

First appearance:

before 1650

One of the 45% oldest English words

1650-60; < Late Latin < Greek: a denial, equivalent to apópha(nai) to say no, deny (apo- apo- + phánai to say) + -sis -sis

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Apophasis

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Apophasis

apophasis popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 53% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 59% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

apophasis usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer