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Aposiopesis: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Aposiopesis noun. Breaking off a sentence before the end, as if unable or unwilling to go on.
How to say it
ap-uh-sye-uh-PEE-sis/ˌapə(ʊ)sʌɪəˈpiːsɪs/
6 syllables, stressed on the fifth (PEE).
Aposiopesis in a sentence
'If you touch my cake again, I'll…' is a textbook aposiopesis, and more menacing than any threat.
King Lear's 'I will have such revenges on you both that all the world shall—' is a famous aposiopesis.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- breaking off
- trailing off
Where aposiopesis comes from
From Greek aposiōpēsis, from aposiōpan, to fall silent.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
King Lear's 'I will have such revenges on you both that all the world shall—' is a famous _____.
- patois
- neologism
- aposiopesis
Show the answer
aposiopesis: King Lear's 'I will have such revenges on you both that all the world shall—' is a famous aposiopesis.