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Litotes are figures of speech that are ironical understatements which express an idea by denying its opposite. Read through the article to know more about Examples of Litotes

Examples Of Litotes

Rarely heard, but extensively used - that is litotes among the regular speakers of English language. Popularly a figure of speech, the word 'litotes' originated from the Greek word 'litos' which means simple. Litotes is defined as 'an ironical understatement in which affirmative is expressed by the negation of the opposite'. In this figure of speech, the usages are intentional, ironical and provide emphasis to the words. This is mainly done through double negatives. To put it in simple terms, in litotes, instead of saying that something is attractive, you say that it is not unattractive. In literary circles, plenty of poets as well as writers have used this concept to convey strange and vivid images. It changes the thought process and thereby beautifies and adorns the literary works. Most of the literary works describe litotes in such a way that the words described are not false, but do not come near a complete description of the action in question. Rather, they are presented in a passive tone and demand more careful attention from the reader. Even figurative language use litotes to convey messages in a clear and impressive manner.

Examples Of Litotes

Regularly Used Examples Of litotes
Following are some of the commonly used litotes:
Examples Of Litotes In Poems
Examples Of Litotes In Prose
Usually, litotes occurs in a language when the speaker does not make an affirmation, rather denies the opposite. With regard to literature, the relationship between Litotes and English language is so old that its instances can be found even in the literary works of the Anglo Saxon period. Litotes usage appeals specifically to North Europeans and is well-liked among English, French and Russians. It makes the speech more effective by beautifying and emphasizing it in rhetoric. Though widely used in conversational language, its usage depends on intonation and emphasis as in the case of phrase "not bad". This can be said in such a way which means everything from 'mediocre' to 'excellent'.