synecdoche

Q: What is the difference between synecdoche and metonymy?

Synecdoche refers to a literary device in which a part of something is substituted for the whole (as hired hand for "worker"), or less commonly, a whole represents a part (as when society denotes "high society"). In metonymy , a word that is associated with something is used to refer to it (as when crown is used to mean "king" or "queen"). For more information read the full article .

Q: What are some examples of synecdoche?

Here are some examples of synecdoche: the word hand in "offer your hand in marriage"; mouths in "hungry mouths to feed"; and wheels referring to a car.

noun

syn·ec·do·che sə-ˈnek-də-(ˌ)kē

: a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (such as fifty sail for fifty ships), the whole for a part (such as society for high society), the species for the genus (such as cutthroat for assassin), the genus for the species (such as a creature for a man), or the name of the material for the thing made (such as boards for stage)

synecdochic

ˌsi-ˌnek-ˈdä-kik

adjective

synecdochical

ˌsi-ˌnek-ˈdä-ki-kəl

adjective

synecdochically

ˌsi-ˌnek-ˈdä-ki-k(ə-)lē

adverb

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between synecdoche and metonymy?

Synecdoche refers to a literary device in which a part of something is substituted for the whole (as hired hand for "worker"), or less commonly, a whole represents a part (as when society denotes "high society"). In metonymy, a word that is associated with something is used to refer to it (as when crown is used to mean "king" or "queen"). For more information read the full article.

Is 'lend me your ears' an example of metonymy or synecdoche?

The Shakespearean phrase "lend me your ears," from Mark Antony's speech in Julius Caesar, is a call for the audience's attention made using metonymy, since ears are not part of attention but are associated with paying attention.

What are some examples of synecdoche?

Here are some examples of synecdoche: the word hand in "offer your hand in marriage"; mouths in "hungry mouths to feed"; and wheels referring to a car.

Examples of synecdoche in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Skeletons, skulls, roses, turtles, bears, trains, poker hands, and lightning bolts, plus a near-infinite array of Jerrys, Garcia in all his guises, including the synecdoche of the missing right middle finger: all of it fodder for shop and shrine. —

Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024 On the album, Beyoncé wants to make Beyoncé the synecdoche for an American. —

Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024 And similarly, the synecdoche is just a larger focus of a much bigger and more global issue. —

Hazlitt, 25 May 2023 The synecdoche and the implication were Glaser’s rhetoric. —

Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for synecdoche

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'synecdoche.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek synekdochē, from syn- + ekdochē sense, interpretation, from ekdechesthai to receive, understand, from ex from + dechesthai to receive; akin to Greek dokein to seem good — more at ex-, decent

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of synecdoche was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century