Periphrasis
noun
Using more words than necessary to express an idea.
Instead of saying 'I'm going', he opted for the periphrasis 'I am in the process of going'
Usage tips
Formal
Literary
noun
A phrase that is used instead of a single word.
'Pass away' is a periphrasis for 'die'
Usage tips
Formal
Literary
noun
Using more words than necessary to express an idea.
Instead of saying 'I'm going', he opted for the periphrasis 'I am in the process of going'
Usage tips
Formal
Literary
noun
A phrase that is used instead of a single word.
'Pass away' is a periphrasis for 'die'
Usage tips
Formal
Literary
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Avoid in Brevity
Prefer simpler words for clear, concise communication, especially in formal writing or speeches.
Use 'go' instead of 'proceed to make my departure' in formal reports.
Pro Tip 2/3Literary Devices
Periphrasis can add style in literature or speeches, but be mindful not to confuse your audience.
Novelists use periphrasis to add depth to their stories.
Pro Tip 3/3Emphasize Emotion
Use periphrasis to draw attention or add emotional weight to a statement.
She wasn't just sad; she was enveloped in a sea of unending sorrow.
Pro Tip 1/3Avoid in Brevity
Prefer simpler words for clear, concise communication, especially in formal writing or speeches.
Use 'go' instead of 'proceed to make my departure' in formal reports.
Pro Tip 2/3Literary Devices
Periphrasis can add style in literature or speeches, but be mindful not to confuse your audience.
Novelists use periphrasis to add depth to their stories.
Pro Tip 3/3Emphasize Emotion
Use periphrasis to draw attention or add emotional weight to a statement.
She wasn't just sad; she was enveloped in a sea of unending sorrow.
Pro Tip 1/3Avoid in Brevity
Prefer simpler words for clear, concise communication, especially in formal writing or speeches.
Use 'go' instead of 'proceed to make my departure' in formal reports.
Pro Tip 2/3Literary Devices
Periphrasis can add style in literature or speeches, but be mindful not to confuse your audience.
Novelists use periphrasis to add depth to their stories.
Pro Tip 3/3Emphasize Emotion
Use periphrasis to draw attention or add emotional weight to a statement.
She wasn't just sad; she was enveloped in a sea of unending sorrow.
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Quote examples
P. J. O'Rourke
American Comedian
Preachers at black churches are the last people left in the English-speaking world who know the schemes and tropes of classical rhetoric: parallelism, antithesis, epistrophe, synecdoche, metonymy, periphrasis, litotes - the whole bag of tricks.
Quote examples
P. J. O'Rourke
American Comedian
Preachers at black churches are the last people left in the English-speaking world who know the schemes and tropes of classical rhetoric: parallelism, antithesis, epistrophe, synecdoche, metonymy, periphrasis, litotes - the whole bag of tricks.
Example 1 of 1
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