metonymy

American  

[mi-ton-uh-mee] / mɪˈtɒn ə mi /

noun

Rhetoric.

1. a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part, as “scepter” for “sovereignty,” or “the bottle” for “strong drink,” or “count heads (or noses)” for “count people.”

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metonymy British  

/ ˌmɛtəˈnɪmɪkəl, mɪˈtɒnɪmɪ /

noun

1. the substitution of a word referring to an attribute for the thing that is meant, as for example the use of the crown to refer to a monarch Compare synecdoche

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Other Word Forms

• metonymical
  adjective
• metonymically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of metonymy

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin metōnymia, from Greek metōnymía “change of name”; see origin at met-, -onym, -y ³

Compare meaning

How does metonymy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• metonymy vs. synecdoche

Explanation

Metonymy means referring to something by one of its attributes or by using a related word. If a reporter notes that "the White House released a statement," that's metonymy: "the White House" means the President or the President's administration. Metonymy comes from the Greek word metonymia, meaning “a change of name.” You've probably heard examples of metonymy, even if you didn't know the technical name for this figure of speech. Describing a monarch as "the Crown" or businesspeople as "suits" is metonymy. The expression "the pen is mightier than the sword" uses metonymy twice: "the pen" refers to writing, while "the sword" refers to war. Don't confuse metonymy with synecdoche, a related figure of speech in which a part is used to refer to the whole.

Example Sentences

The closing credits begin unspooling over an image of a little girl’s shoes catching fire and burning up, a grimly poetic metonymy of the Gallardos’ tragic back story.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2023

It is a metonymy that suggests that the irreducible lives and fates of the dispossessed are not this show’s concern, and certainly haven’t been “recovered” as we were promised at the outset.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2021

And I argue that even though he’s world-famous and globally acclaimed, he’s really underrated for the kind of sophisticated nuanced deployment of homophones, metonymy, simile, metaphor, braggadocio, allusion.

From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2019

The Acela metonymy suggests Bloomberg’s basic problem: His appeal is rather selective.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2016

"All thinking is analogizing, and it is the use of life to learn metonymy."

From The Last Harvest by Burroughs, John

Related Words

• analogy
• image
• symbol