aposiopesis

[ ap-uh-sahy-uh-pee-sis ]

See synonyms for aposiopesis on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural ap·o·si·o·pe·ses

[ap-uh-sahy-uh-pee-seez]. /ˌæp əˌsaɪ əˈpi siz/. Rhetoric.

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

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

Other words from aposiopesis

ap·o·si·o·pet·ic [ap-uh-sahy-uh-pet-ik], /ˌæp əˌsaɪ əˈpɛt ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby aposiopesis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aposiopesis in a sentence

The aposiopesis was alarming, and Blarden's direction was obeyed instantaneously.
The Cock and Anchor | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Though in my edition I have made here an aposiopesis, I think it more probable that a line has been lost.
The Shakespeare-Expositor: An Aid to the Perfect Understanding of Shakespeare's Plays | Thomas Keightley
There may have been, as Malone thought, a line lost here; but I rather think it is an aposiopesis.
The Shakespeare-Expositor: An Aid to the Perfect Understanding of Shakespeare's Plays | Thomas Keightley
There is either an aposiopesis or a line lost after this; I think the latter.
The Shakespeare-Expositor: An Aid to the Perfect Understanding of Shakespeare's Plays | Thomas Keightley
There may be a line lost here; I make in preference an aposiopesis.
The Shakespeare-Expositor: An Aid to the Perfect Understanding of Shakespeare's Plays | Thomas Keightley

British Dictionary definitions for aposiopesis

aposiopesis

/ (ˌæpəʊˌsaɪəˈpiːsɪs) /

nounplural -ses (-siːz)

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

Origin of aposiopesis

C16: via Late Latin from Greek, from aposiōpaein to be totally silent, from siōpaein to be silent

Derived forms of aposiopesis

aposiopetic (ˌæpəʊˌsaɪəˈpɛtɪk), adjective

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

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