In rhetoric, meiosis is a

euphemistic A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes t ...

figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is lesser in significance or size than it really is. Meiosis is the opposite of auxesis, and is often compared to litotes.OED 1st edition The term is derived from the Greek (“to make smaller”, "to diminish").

Examples

;Historical examples *"(Our) peculiar institution", for slavery and its economic ramifications in the American South. * "The Recent Unpleasantness", used in the 19th century in the southern United States as an idiom to refer to the American Civil War and its aftermath. *"The Emergency", a term used in the Republic of Ireland for the conflict that the rest of the world called the Second World War. *In the '' Hirohito surrender broadcast'', the Japanese emperor said that "the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage", a week after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (The original

Classical Japanese The classical Japanese language ( ''bungo'', "literary language"), also called "old writing" ( ''kobun''), sometimes simply called "Medieval Japanese" is the literary form of the Japanese language that was the standard until the early Shōwa p ...

: ) *"

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

", a name for decades of violence in Northern Ireland. ;Other examples *"The Pond", for the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

("across the pond"). Similarly, "The Ditch" for the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand. *"The outback"; under its original etymology in the late 19th century, this was a meiosis comparison between the vast empty regions of central

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and the backyard of a house; but its usage today is so common and so far distanced from its etymology that the meiosis effect has been lost. *In '' The Catcher in the Rye'' by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield says "It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain." *"Intolerable meiosis!" comments a character in

William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel '' Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 198 ...

's '' Fire Down Below'' as their ship encounters an iceberg after another character comments, "We are privileged. How many people have seen anything like this?"

Notes

References

* Figures of speech Rhetorical techniques ru:Литота#Троп преуменьшения {{rhetoric-stub

Examples

See also

Notes

References