synecdoche

[ si-nek-duh-kee ]

noun

, Rhetoric.

1. a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special, as in ten sail for ten ships or a Croesus for a rich man.

synecdoche

/ sɪnˈɛkdəkɪ; ˌsɪnɛkˈdɒkɪk /

noun

1. a figure of speech in which a part is substituted for a whole or a whole for a part, as in 50 head of cattle for 50 cows, or the army for a soldier

Derived Forms

• synecdochic, adjective
• ˌsynecˈdochically, adverb

Other Words From

• syn·ec·doch·ic [sin-ik-, dok, -ik], synec·dochi·cal adjective
• synec·dochi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of synecdoche¹

1350–1400; < Medieval Latin < Greek synekdochḗ, equivalent to syn- syn- + ekdochḗ act of receiving from another, equivalent to ek- ec- + -dochē, noun derivative of déchesthai to receive

Word History and Origins

Origin of synecdoche¹

C14: via Latin from Greek sunekdokhē, from syn- + ekdokhē interpretation, from dekhesthai to accept

Example Sentences

Some of the sentences that adorn them are barely legible because of the fabric’s creases, but one of them, a quote from a playbill interview with Castellucci, describes Huppert as “the synecdoche of theater.”

From New York Times

In Mangold’s hands, parts become wholes and the exhibition a master class in synecdoche: the tree is the forest; the painter a human representative negotiating with the natural world.

From New York Times

In Darlington’s Devon neighborhood, the synecdoche for global habitat destruction is the arrival of a sign in a soon-to-be-former farm field: “Site Acquired for Development.”

From Washington Post

And I'm far from the only one who sees the destruction of Twitter under Musk as a synecdoche for what's awaiting the entire country if Republicans win in the midterms.

From Salon

To many Americans, Alabama is a synecdoche for the worst of Southern reaction.

From Seattle Times