aposiopesis
[ ap-uh-sahy-uh-pee-sis ]
/ ˌæp əˌsaɪ əˈpi sɪs /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of aposiopesis
OTHER WORDS FROM aposiopesis
ap·o·si·o·pet·ic [ap-uh-sahy-uh-pet-ik], /ˌæp əˌsaɪ əˈpɛt ɪk/, adjectiveWords nearby aposiopesis
aporepressor, aporia, aport, aposematic, aposematic coloration, aposiopesis, apospory, apostasy, apostate, apostatize, apostaxis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for aposiopesis
British Dictionary definitions for aposiopesis
aposiopesis
/ (ˌæpəʊˌsaɪəˈpiːsɪs) /
noun plural -ses (-siːz)
rhetoric the device of suddenly breaking off in the middle of a sentence as if unwilling to continue
Derived forms of aposiopesis
aposiopetic (ˌæpəʊˌsaɪəˈpɛtɪk), adjectiveWord Origin for aposiopesis
C16: via Late Latin from Greek, from aposiōpaein to be totally silent, from siōpaein to be silent
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