aposiopesis

ap·o·si·o·pe·sis

A a

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [ap-uh-sahy-uh-pee-sis]
- /ˌæp əˌsaɪ əˈpi sɪs/
- /əpˈəʊsɪˌəʊpsiz/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [ap-uh-sahy-uh-pee-sis]
- /ˌæp əˌsaɪ əˈpi sɪs/

Definitions of aposiopesis word

noun aposiopesis the device of suddenly breaking off in the middle of a sentence as if unwilling to continue 3
noun aposiopesis a sudden breaking off of a thought in the middle of a sentence as if one were unable or unwilling to continue (Ex.: the horrors I saw there—but I dare not tell them) 3
noun plural aposiopesis a sudden breaking off in the midst of a sentence, as if from inability or unwillingness to proceed. 1
noun aposiopesis The device of suddenly breaking off in speech. 1
noun aposiopesis (rhetoric) An abrupt breaking-off in speech. 0

See all 5 definitions of aposiopesis

Information block about the term

Origin of aposiopesis

First appearance:

before 1570

One of the 33% oldest English words

1570-80; < Late Latin < Greek: literally, a full silence, equivalent to aposiōpē- (verbid stem of aposiōpáein to be fully silent; apo- apo- + siōpáein to be silent) + -sis -sis

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Aposiopesis

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Aposiopesis

aposiopesis popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 47% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 57% 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.

aposiopesis usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for aposiopesis

noun aposiopesis

allegory — An allegory is a story, poem, or painting in which the characters and events are symbols of something else. Allegories are often moral, religious, or political.
allusion — An allusion is an indirect reference to someone or something.
analogy — If you make or draw an analogy between two things, you show that they are similar in some way.
anticlimax — You can describe something as an anticlimax if it disappoints you because it happens after something that was very exciting, or because it is not as exciting as you expected.
antithesis — The antithesis of something is its exact opposite.

All 43 Synonyms of aposiopesis