Rhetoric figurative language

Device	Definition / How It Works	Effect / Why Use It	Example
Allusion	Indirect reference to a person, event, or text	Adds depth, context, resonance	“He met his Waterloo.”
Apostrophe	Addressing absent or abstract entity	Emotion, dramatization	“O Death, where is thy sting?”
Euphemism	Mild expression replaces harsh one	Softens impact, polite	“Passed away” instead of “died”
Hyperbole	Extreme exaggeration	Emphasizes a point, creates humor or drama	“I’ve told you a million times.”
Irony	Expressing meaning opposite to words	Creates humor, sarcasm, or emphasis	“Oh great, another traffic jam.”
Litotes	Understatement by negating the opposite	Emphasizes subtly, ironic effect	“It’s not bad” (meaning it’s good)
Metaphor	Comparing two unlike things without “like” or “as”	Creates vivid imagery, helps explain abstract ideas	“Time is a thief.”
Metonymy	Replacing something with a closely related term	Concise, symbolic	“The crown will decide” (meaning the king/queen)
Onomatopoeia	Words that imitate sound	Creates auditory imagery	“The bees buzzed.”
Oxymoron	Combining contradictory terms	Draws attention, creates tension	“Deafening silence”
Paradox	Statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth	Provokes thought	“Less is more.”
Personification	Giving human traits to non-human things	Adds emotion or relatability	“The wind whispered through the trees.”
Pun	Play on words with multiple meanings	Humor, wit	“I used to be a banker, but I lost interest.”
Simile	Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as”	Makes descriptions vivid and relatable	“Her smile was like sunshine.”
Synecdoche	Part represents whole, or whole represents part	Adds vividness, concrete image	“All hands on deck.”