Synonyms

aposiopesis

American

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

noun

Rhetoric.

a sudden breaking off in the midst of a sentence, as if from inability or unwillingness to proceed.

aposiopesis British

/ ˌæpəʊˌsaɪəˈpiːsɪs, ˌæpəʊˌsaɪəˈpɛtɪk /

noun

rhetoric the device of suddenly breaking off in the middle of a sentence as if unwilling to continue

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

aposiopetic

adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

aposiopeses

plural

Etymology

Origin of aposiopesis

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

Vocabulary lists containing aposiopesis

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023