"Litotes" Pronounce,Meaning And Examples

"Litotes" Meaning

Litotes is a figure of speech in which an understatement is used for emphasis or irony, often in the form "not very" or "not much".

"Litotes" Examples

Here are 5 examples of litotes in use:

Example 1

I'm not ungrateful for your help. (Here, the speaker is expressing gratitude by denying they are ungrateful, which is a type of litotes.)

Example 2

He's no genius, but he's a hard worker. (In this example, the speaker is downplaying someone's intelligence by stating they are not a genius, which is the opposite of what they are implying.)

Example 3

This coffee isn't the worst I've ever had. (Here, the speaker is expressing a negative opinion by saying it's not the worst, which implies it's still not very good.)

Example 4

She's not a bad pianist, but she's not exactly a virtuoso either. (In this case, the speaker is describing someone's piano skills as mediocre by denying they are either very good or very bad.)

Example 5

This restaurant may not be the fanciest in town, but at least the food is decent. (Here, the speaker is expressing a neutral opinion by saying the food is decent, which implies it's not exceptionally good or bad.)