Figures of speech
The named rhetorical figures cataloged from Silva Rhetoricae and supplemented with post-Renaissance additions, listed alphabetically. 413 entries; researched figures show a one-line definition.
A
- Abating
- Abbaser
- Abcisio
- Abecedarian
- Ablatio
- Abominatio
- Abusio
- Accismus
- Accumulatio
- Accusatio
- Acervatio
- Acoloutha
- Acrostic
- Acyrologia
- Acyron
- Adage
- Adagium
- Addubitatio
- Adhortatio
- Adianoeta
- Adjectio
- Adjournment
- Adjudicatio
- Adjunct
- Adjunctio
- Admonitio
- Adnexio
- Adnominatio
- Adynata
- Adynaton
- Aeschrologia
- Aetiologia
- Affirmatio
- Affirmation
- Aganactesis
- Agnominatio
- Agnomination
- Aischrologia
- Allegory
- Alleotheta
- Alliteration
- Allusion
- Ambiguitas
- Ambiguous
- Amphibologia
- Ampliatio
- Anacephalaeosis
- Anacoenosis
- Anacoloutha
- Anacoluthon
- Anadiplosis
- Anamnesis
- Anangeon
- Anaphora
- Anapodoton
- Anastrophe
- Anemographia
- Anesis
- Antanaclasis
- Antanagoge
- Antenantiosis
- Anthimeria
- Anthropopatheia
- Anthypophora
- Anticategoria
- Antilogy
- Antimetabole
- Antimetathesis
- Antipersonification
- Antiphrasis
- Antiprosopopoeia
- Antiptosis
- Antirrhesis
- Antisagoge
- Antistasis
- Antisthecon
- Antistrophe
- Antithesis
- Antitheton
- Antonomasia
- Apagoresis
- Aphaeresis
- Aphorismus
- Apocarteresis
- Apocope
- Apodioxis
- Apodixis
- Apologue
- Apophasis
- Apoplanesis
- Aporia
- Aposiopesis
- Apostrophe
- Apothegm
- Appositio
- Apposition
- Ara
- Articulus
- Aschematismus
- Aschematiston
- Asphalia
- Assonance
- Assumptio
- Asteismus
- Astrothesia
- Asyndeton
- Auxesis
- Aversio
B
- Barbarism
- Bathos
- Battologia
- Bdelygmia
- Benedictio
- Bomphiologia
- Brachiepia
- Brachylogia
C
- Cacemphaton
- Cacophonia
- Cacosyntheton
- Cacozelia
- Casus pro casu
- Catachresis
- Catacosmesis
- Cataphasis
- Cataplexis
- Categoria
- Characterismus
- Charientismus
- Chiasmus
- Chorographia
- Chreia
- Chronographia
- Circumlocutio
- Clause
- Climax
- Coenotes
- Colon
- Comma
- Commoratio
- Communicatio
- Commutatio
- Comparatio
- Compensatio
- Complexio
- Comprobatio
- Conceit
- Concessio
- Conciliatio
- Conclusio
- Condescensio
- Conduplicatio
- Congeries
- Conjunctio
- Consonance
- Contencion
- Contentio
- Contractio
- Contrarium
- Conversio
- Correctio
- Counterfait place
D
- Deesis
- Dehortatio
- Dendrographia
- Deprecatio
- Descriptio
- Diacope
- Diaeresis
- Dialogismus
- Dialysis
- Dialyton
- Dianoea
- Diaphora
- Diaporesis
- Diaskeue
- Diastole
- Diasyrmus
- Diazeugma
- Dicaeologia
- Digressio
- Dilemma
- Distinctio
- Distributio
E
- Ecphonesis
- Ecphrasis
- Ecthlipsis
- Effictio
- Elenchus
- Ellipsis
- Emphasis
- Enallage
- Enantiosis
- Enargia
- Encomium
- Energia
- Enigma
- Ennoia
- Enthymeme
- Enumeratio
- Epanalepsis
- Epanodos
- Epanorthosis
- Epenthesis
- Epergesis
- Epexegesis
- Epicrisis
- Epilogus
- Epimone
- Epiphonema
- Epiplexis
- Epistrophe
- Episynaloephe
- Epitasis
- Epitheton
- Epitrochasmus
- Epitrope
- Epizeugma
- Epizeuxis
- Erotema
- Ethopoeia
- Eucharistia
- Euche
- Eulogia
- Euphemismus
- Eustathia
- Eutrepismus
- Excitatio
- Exclamatio
- Excursus
- Exergasia
- Exouthenismos
- Expeditio
- Expolitio
- Exuscitatio
F
- Frequentatio
G
- Geographia
- Gnome
- Graecismus
H
- Hendiadys
- Heterogenium
- Homiologia
- Homoeoprophoron
- Homoeosis
- Homoioptoton
- Homoioteleuton
- Horismus
- Hydrographia
- Hypallage
- Hyperbaton
- Hyperbole
- Hypophora
- Hypotyposis
- Hypozeugma
- Hypozeuxis
- Hysterologia
- Hysteron proteron
I
- Icon
- Imagery
- Indignatio
- Innuendo
- Inopinaturm
- Insinuatio
- Interrogatio
- Irony
- Isocolon
K
- Kenning
L
- Litotes
M
- Macrologia
- Malapropism
- Martyria
- Maxim
- Medela
- Meiosis
- Membrum
- Mempsis
- Merismus
- Mesarchia
- Mesodiplosis
- Mesozeugma
- Metabasis
- Metalepsis
- Metallage
- Metanoia
- MetaphorTrope
A figure that describes one thing as if it were another, transferring the qualities of the source onto the target without 'like' or 'as'.
- Metaplasm
- Metastasis
- Metathesis
- Metonymy
- Mimesis
- Mycterismus
O
- Oeonismus
- Ominatio
- Onedismus
- Onomatopoeia
- Optatio
- Orcos
- Oxymoron
P
- Paenismus
- Palilogia
- Parabola
- Paradiastole
- Paradiegesis
- Paradigma
- Paradox
- Paraenesis
- Paragoge
- Paralipsis
- Parallelism
- Paramythia
- Paraprosdokian
- Parathesis
- Parecbasis
- Paregmenon
- Parelcon
- Parembole
- Parenthesis
- Pareuresis
- Paroemia
- Paroemion
- Paromoiosis
- Paromologia
- Paronomasia
- Parrhesia
- Pathopoeia
- Perclusio
- Periergia
- Period
- Periphrasis
- Perissologia
- Peristasis
- Permutatio
- Personification
- Philophronesis
- Pleonasm
- Ploce
- Polyptoton
- Polysyndeton
- Pragmatographia
- Procatalepsis
- Proclees
- Prodiorthosis
- Proecthesis
- Prolepsis
- Prosapodosis
- Proslepsis
- Prosonomasia
- Prosopographia
- Prosopopoeia
- Prosphonesis
- Protherapeia
- Prothesis
- Protrope
- Proverb
- Prozeugma
- Pun
- Pysma
R
- Ratiocinatio
- Repetitio
- Repotia
- Restrictio
- Rhetorical question
- Rhyme
S
- Sarcasm
- Sarcasmus
- Schematismus
- Scurra
- Sententia
- Sermocinatio
- Simile
- Skotison
- Solecismus
- Soraismus
- Sorites
- Spoonerism
- Subjectio
- Sustentatio
- Syllepsis
- Syllogismus
- Symbolism
- Symperasma
- Symploce
- Synaeresis
- Synaloepha
- Synathroesmus
- Syncatabasis
- Syncategorema
- Synchoresis
- Synchysis
- Syncope
- Syncrisis
- Synecdoche
- Synoeciosis
- Synonymia
- Synthesis
- Syntheton
- Synzeugma
- Systole
- Systrophe
T
- Tapinosis
- Tasis
- Tautologia
- Taxis
- Thaumasmus
- Tmesis
- Topographia
- Topothesia
- Traductio
- Transitio
- Transplacement
- Tricolon
U
- Understatement
V
- Verborum bombus
Z
- Zeugma