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Anyone who knows me even a little knows I’ve been in a long-term, committed relationship—with language. We’ve had our ups and downs (I’m looking at you, comma splices), but overall, it’s been a passionate affair filled with metaphors, wordplay, and the occasional grammar pet peeve.
So imagine my surprise when, after decades of nerding out over figures of speech, I met a new one. Her name? Litotes. (That’s LYE-tuh-teez, pronounced like someone politely trying to say “lie-to-tease” without committing.)
Now, I’ve known the concept forever. I just didn’t realize it had a VIP pass to the same party as metaphor, onomatopoeia, and hyperbole. (Side note: If you say those last three out loud, it sounds like a Hogwarts incantation.)
Litotes is a form of understatement—because why say something plainly when you can dress it up in logic gymnastics? It’s when you affirm something by denying the opposite. Confused? Totally normal. It’s kind of like saying, “I don’t hate it,” when what you really mean is “I kind of love it but refuse to admit that out loud.”
You’ve used litotes. Trust me. We all have. If I say, “The rose pictured on this post isn’t ugly” you could rightfully translate that I actually mean it’s somewhere between pretty and breathtakingly beautiful. Some other classics:
- “I wouldn’t say no.” (Translation: Yes please.)
- “Not bad.” (Translation: Actually good.)
- “You’re not wrong.” (Translation: You’re right, but I’m too stubborn to say so outright.)
- “I’m not unfamiliar with that.” (Translation: I know exactly what you’re talking about, but let’s keep it mysterious.)
See? Litotes: the figure of speech that sounds like a fancy footnote but sneaks into everyday conversations like it owns the place.