Meiosis (figure of speech)
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Hyperbole comes from Greek and is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, and is not meant to be taken literally.
Hyperbole is used to create emphasis. It is a literary device often used in poetry, and is frequently encountered in casual speech.
Some examples include:
these books weigh a ton. (weigh a great deal)
I could sleep for a year. (for a long time)
Antonyms to hyperbole include meiosis, litotes, understatement, and bathos (the 'let down' after a hyperbole in a phrase).
Derived from the Greek (literally 'overshooting' or 'excess'), it is a cognate of hyperbola.
See Also
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