Antiphrases

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A pair of opposing phrases expressing contrasting ideas or sentiments that highlight irony or humor
2. Sets of words that convey opposite meanings, often used to create a playful or sarcastic effect in communication
3. Combinations of phrases that intentionally present contradictory concepts to provoke thought or amusement

Etymology: The word's surprising twist is that in its original Greek sense it was not about contradictory phrases at all. "Antiphrasis" meant using a word in the opposite of its usual sense, so that a thing could be named by its contrary: the ancient Greeks spoke of calling something "ironically" or by a reversed name. Its root is "phrazein", "to declare" or "to speak out", combined with "anti", "against" or "in return." The Greek noun passed into Late Latin as "antiphrasis", and English took it from there. The modern meaning, a pairing of contradictory phrases meant to provoke thought or amusement, is a later shift. The idea of saying one thing to mean its opposite stayed at the core, but it moved from single words to paired phrases. The plural "antiphrases" is simply the Latin-style plural of "antiphrasis", so the same history applies to it.

Synonyms: contradictions, opposites, inversions, irony, sarcasm