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”; met-, -onym, -y ³

Compare meaning

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

• metonymy vs. synecdoche

Example Sentences

Conversation with him quickly soars into rare air: subjectivity and objectivity, metonymy and metaphor.

From New York Times • Oct. 7, 2022

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 respite from the bureaucracy of motherhood she gives Daphne acts as a metonymy for the book’s larger yearning for release from endless lists of tasks.

From Slate • Sep. 5, 2018

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