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Literature vocabulary · Literary Devices and Figures of Speech

Figure of speech

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounCore term

In literature, figure of speech means: A use of words in a non-literal or unusual way to create a special effect or meaning, such as a metaphor, simile, hyperbole or personification.

In Turkish: söz sanatı, edebi sanat, mecaz

How it is used

The umbrella term for devices taught in poetry and rhetoric. Plural: figures of speech. Critics also use 'figurative language' for the same idea, as opposed to literal language. In everyday English, 'it's just a figure of speech' means 'don't take it literally'.

Example sentences

  1. Hyperbole is a figure of speech that exaggerates for effect.

  2. The exam asks you to identify three figures of speech in the poem and explain their effect.

Common collocations

  • figures of speech
  • a common figure of speech
  • figurative language
  • identify a figure of speech
  • metaphorA figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were something else, without using 'like' or 'as', to show a hidden similarity.
  • simileA figure of speech that compares two different things directly, usually with the words 'like' or 'as', for example 'as cold as ice'.
  • personificationA figure of speech that gives human qualities, feelings or actions to animals, objects, places or ideas, as in 'the wind whispered'.
  • hyperboleA figure of speech that uses deliberate, obvious exaggeration for emphasis or humor, as in 'I've told you a million times'.
  • ironyA contrast between what is said and what is meant, or between what is expected and what actually happens, often used for humor or criticism.

More terms: Literary Devices and Figures of Speech

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