litotes
noun /laɪˈtəʊtiːz/
/laɪˈtəʊtiːz/
[uncountable] (specialist)- the use of a negative or weak statement to emphasize a positive meaning, for example he wasn’t slow to accept the offer (= he was quick to accept the offer) compare understatementWordfinderTopics Languagec2
- alliteration
- euphemism
- figure of speech
- hyperbole
- image
- litotes
- metaphor
- metonymy
- onomatopoeia
- paradox
Word Originlate 16th cent.: via late Latin from Greek litotēs, from litos ‘plain, meagre’.