From Accismus to Zeugma: 20 Rhetorical Terms You Never Learned in School

One of the most popular pages on this site is Top 20 Figures of Speech: definitions and examples of metaphor and simile, irony and hyperbole--all the rhetorical terms that you probably learned in school.

But what about some of the less familiar figures and tropes? There are hundreds of them after all. And while we may not recognize their names, we use and hear many of these devices every day.

So let's take a look at 20 uncommon words (most of them Latin or Greek) for some fairly common rhetorical strategies. To view examples of a device (along with its etymology and a guide to pronunciation), simply click on the term to visit a page in our glossary.

1. Accismus
   Coyness: a form of irony in which a person feigns a lack of interest in something that he or she actually desires.



2. Anadiplosis
   Repetition of the last word of one line or clause to begin the next.



3. Aposiopesis
   An unfinished thought or broken sentence.



4. Bdelygmia
   A litany of abuse--a series of critical epithets, descriptions, or attributes.



5. Boosting
   An adverbial construction used to support a claim or express a viewpoint more assertively and convincingly.



6. Chleuasmos
   A sarcastic reply that mocks an opponent, leaving him or her without an answer.



7. Dehortatio
   Dissuasive advice given with authority.



8. Diatyposis
   Recommending useful precepts or advice to someone else.



9. Epexegesis
   Adding words or phrases to further clarify or specify a statement already made.



10. Epimone
    Frequent repetition of a phrase or question; dwelling on a point.



11. Epizeuxis
    Repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis (usually with no words in between).



12. Hypocrisis
    Exaggerating the gestures or speech habits of another in order to mock him.



13. Paronomasia
    Punning, playing with words.



14. Prolepsis
    Figurative device by which a future event is presumed to have already occurred.



15. Skotison
    Intentionally obscure speech or writing, designed to confuse an audience rather than clarify an issue.



16. Syllepsis
    A kind of ellipsis in which one word (usually a verb) is understood differently in relation to two or more other words.



17. Synathroesmus
    The piling up of adjectives, often in the spirit of invective.



18. Tapinosis
    Name calling: undignified language that debases a person or thing.



19. Tetracolon Climax
    A series of four members.



20. Zeugma
    Use of a word to modify or govern two or more words although its use may be grammatically or logically correct with only one.

More About Figures, Tropes, & Other Rhetorical Terms:

• Top 20 Figures of Speech
• Tool Kit for Rhetorical Analysis
• Figures, Tropes, and Other Rhetorical Terms