antiphrasis
[ an-tif-ruh-sis ]
/ ænˈtɪf rə sɪs /
noun Rhetoric.
the use of a word in a sense opposite to its proper meaning.
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Question 1 of 7
What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
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OTHER WORDS FROM antiphrasis
an·ti·phras·tic [an-ti-fras-tik], /ˌæn tɪˈfræs tɪk/, an·ti·phras·ti·cal, adjectivean·ti·phras·ti·cal·ly, adverbWords nearby antiphrasis
antiphlogistic, antiphon, antiphonal, antiphonary, antiphony, antiphrasis, Antiphus, anti-pill, antiplasmin, antiplastic, antiplatelet
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for antiphrasis
The friend who presented me with him had given him, perhaps by antiphrasis, the startling name of Pelléas.
Our Friend the Dog|Maurice Maeterlinck
British Dictionary definitions for antiphrasis
antiphrasis
/ (ænˈtɪfrəsɪs) /
noun
rhetoric the use of a word in a sense opposite to its normal one, esp for ironic effect
Word Origin for antiphrasis
C16: via Late Latin from Greek, from anti- + phrasis, from phrazein to speak
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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