Oxford Dictionary English litotes nounnoun BrE BrE//laɪˈtəʊtiːz// ; NAmE NAmE//laɪˈtoʊtiːz// [uncountable] (specialist) Linguistic devices Add to my wordlistjump to other resultsthe use of a negative or weak statement to emphasize a positive meaning, for example he wasn’t slow to accept the offer (= he was quick to accept the offer) compare understatement Wordfinderimagealliteration, euphemism, figure of speech, hyperbole, image, litotes, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, paradox See related entries: Linguistic devices Word Originlate 16th cent.: via late Latin from Greek litotēs, from litos ‘plain, meagre’.See litotes in the Oxford Advanced American DictionaryCheck pronunciation: litotes oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
