English noun: litotes | |||
1. | litotes (communication) understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary) | ||
Samples | Saying `I was not a little upset' when you mean `I was very upset' is an example of litotes. | ||
Synonyms | meiosis | ||
Broader (hypernym) | rhetorical device, understatement | ||