Definitions 1
Comparing two objects using "like" or "as."
Simile
“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun…” -Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
Contrast
"My mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
Analogy
An outrageous exaggeration used for effect.
Hyperbole
A statement in which a seeming contradiction may reveal an unexpected truth.
Paradox
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star / How I wonder what you are
Apostrophe
Every cloud has a silver lining. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Cliché
The dictionary definition of a word; its literal meaning apart from any associations.
Denotation
An ordinary object, event, animal, or person to which we have attached extraordinary meaning and significance.
Symbol
Boom, splat, buzz, kachoo!
Onomatopoeia
The boy's stomach was a bottomless pit.
Metaphor
A word or phrase that can mean more than one thing, even in its context.
Ambiguity
Deafening silence; big baby
Oxymoron
A representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning. Sometimes it can be a single word or phrase, such as the name of a character or place. Often, it is a symbolic narrative that has not only a literal meaning, but a larger one understood only after reading the entire story or poem.
Allegory
Words that imitate the sounds they make.
Onomatopoeia
Indicating a person, object, etc. by letting only a certain part represent the whole.
Synecdoche
“I’ve got a Van Gogh hanging up in my living room”.
Metonymy
She's not sick; she's “under the weather.”
Euphemism
The emotional, psychological or social overtones of a word; its implications and associations apart from its literal meaning.
Connotation