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 AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
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