synecdoche

[ si-nek-duh-kee ]

See synonyms for synecdoche on Thesaurus.com

nounRhetoric.

a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special, as in ten sail for ten ships or a Croesus for a rich man.

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Origin of synecdoche

1350–1400; <Medieval Latin <Greek synekdochḗ, equivalent to syn-syn- + ekdochḗ act of receiving from another, equivalent to ek-ec- + -dochē, noun derivative of déchesthai to receive

Other words from synecdoche

syn·ec·doch·ic [sin-ik-dok-ik], /ˌsɪn ɪkˈdɒk ɪk/, syn·ec·doch·i·cal, adjective
syn·ec·doch·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with synecdoche

Schenectady, synecdoche

Words Nearby synecdoche

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use synecdoche in a sentence

They became a synecdoche for the woman herself: conservative, intimidating, feminine.
The Language of Margaret Thatcher’s Handbags | Robin Givhan | April 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Reddit is a synecdoche for the Internet: a set of tools for sharing and organizing content.
Why Gawker Should Lose Its War With Reddit | Alex Klein | October 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Sex appeal,” Levy writes, “has become a synecdoche of all appeal.
Good Girls Are Back | Marisa Meltzer | August 9, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
After synecdoche, it will be impossible not to take notice of her talent.
The Girl Effect | Rachel Syme | October 9, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST
synecdoche puts a part for the whole, or a whole for the part; as, "The harbor was crowded with masts."
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism | F. V. N. Painter

Blind mouths: 'mouths' is used, by synecdoche, for gluttons, as the five preceding verses show.
An Introduction to the Prose and Poetical Works of John Milton | Hiram Corson
synecdoche is a species of metonymy, and has the same effect of giving vividness.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism | F. V. N. Painter
When this relation is that of a part to the whole or of the whole to a part, the figure is synecdoche.
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 10 | Charles Herbert Sylvester
The synecdoche, in which a part is put for the whole, as the sword for war, is in its nature essentially a metonymy.
Companion to the Bible | E. P. Barrows

British Dictionary definitions for synecdoche

synecdoche

/ (sɪnˈɛkdəkɪ) /

noun

a figure of speech in which a part is substituted for a whole or a whole for a part, as in 50 head of cattle for 50 cows, or the army for a soldier

Origin of synecdoche

C14: via Latin from Greek sunekdokhē, from syn- + ekdokhē interpretation, from dekhesthai to accept

Derived forms of synecdoche

synecdochic (ˌsɪnɛkˈdɒkɪk) or synecdochical, adjective
synecdochically, adverb

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

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