Synecdoche
noun
A figure of speech where a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part.
In the term 'bread and butter', 'bread' can be a synecdoche for food.
Often appears as...
- synecdoche in literature
- synecdoche example
Usage tips
Literary
noun
A figure of speech in which a general term stands for a specific example.
The word 'wheels' can be a synecdoche for a car.
Often appears as...
- synecdoche in poetry
- synecdoche definition
Usage tips
Academic
noun
A word or phrase in which a part represents the whole.
The phrase 'new faces' can be a synecdoche for new students.
Often appears as...
- example of synecdoche
- synecdoche in sentence
noun
A figure of speech where a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part.
In the term 'bread and butter', 'bread' can be a synecdoche for food.
Often appears as...
- synecdoche in literature
- synecdoche example
Usage tips
Literary
noun
A figure of speech in which a general term stands for a specific example.
The word 'wheels' can be a synecdoche for a car.
Often appears as...
- synecdoche in poetry
- synecdoche definition
Usage tips
Academic
noun
A word or phrase in which a part represents the whole.
The phrase 'new faces' can be a synecdoche for new students.
Often appears as...
- example of synecdoche
- synecdoche in sentence
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Part for Whole
A synecdoche often uses a significant part of something to represent the entire thing.
The phrase 'all hands on deck' uses 'hands' to mean the whole crew.
Pro Tip 2/3Whole for Part
Sometimes the whole is used for a part, especially when speaking poetically or figuratively.
The 'world' cheered for the Olympic champion, meaning people everywhere did.
Pro Tip 3/3Cultural Awareness
Synecdoches can include cultural references that may not be understood universally.
'Hollywood' is used as a synecdoche for the US film industry.
Pro Tip 1/3Part for Whole
A synecdoche often uses a significant part of something to represent the entire thing.
The phrase 'all hands on deck' uses 'hands' to mean the whole crew.
Pro Tip 2/3Whole for Part
Sometimes the whole is used for a part, especially when speaking poetically or figuratively.
The 'world' cheered for the Olympic champion, meaning people everywhere did.
Pro Tip 3/3Cultural Awareness
Synecdoches can include cultural references that may not be understood universally.
'Hollywood' is used as a synecdoche for the US film industry.
Pro Tip 1/3Part for Whole
A synecdoche often uses a significant part of something to represent the entire thing.
The phrase 'all hands on deck' uses 'hands' to mean the whole crew.
Pro Tip 2/3Whole for Part
Sometimes the whole is used for a part, especially when speaking poetically or figuratively.
The 'world' cheered for the Olympic champion, meaning people everywhere did.
Pro Tip 3/3Cultural Awareness
Synecdoches can include cultural references that may not be understood universally.
'Hollywood' is used as a synecdoche for the US film industry.
Never forget "Synecdoche"
Humans forget easily. That's why you should download WordUp: Smart reminders, word games, AI practice, and much more!
Quote examples
Bruce Jackson
Public Servant
The daily press, the immediate media, is superb at synecdoche, at giving us a small thing that stands for a much larger thing. Reporters on the ground, embedded or otherwise, can tell us about or send us pictures of what happened in that place at that time among those people.
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
Charlie Kaufman
American Screenwriter
It occurred to me that every work of art is a synecdoche, there's no way around it. Every creative work that someone does can only represent an aspect of the whole of something. I can't think of an exception to that.
Quote examples
Bruce Jackson
Public Servant
The daily press, the immediate media, is superb at synecdoche, at giving us a small thing that stands for a much larger thing. Reporters on the ground, embedded or otherwise, can tell us about or send us pictures of what happened in that place at that time among those people.
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
Charlie Kaufman
American Screenwriter
It occurred to me that every work of art is a synecdoche, there's no way around it. Every creative work that someone does can only represent an aspect of the whole of something. I can't think of an exception to that.
Example 1 of 3
WordUp Chrome Extension
As you browse the web instantly look up words you don’t know.
Get Chrome Extension