antiphrasis means use of a word or phrase in a sense opposite of its literal meaning, especially for ironic or humorous effect. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
ANTIPHRASIS — [Noun] The use of a word or phrase in a sense opposite to its literal meaning, especially for ironic or humorous effect. From the Ancient Greek ἀντίφρασις (antíphrasis), from anti- ("against, opposite") and phrazein ("to declare, to speak"). Unlike "irony," a broader atmospheric condition of meaning, or "euphemism," a softening veil, antiphrasis is a precise lexical inversion—a single coin flipped to show its reverse. It is the affectionate moniker "Tiny" for a giant, declaring a ruinous policy "the final solution," or hearing someone survey a torrential downpour and say, "Lovely weather." This is the simplest, most personal alchemy, where language is not a bridge to meaning but a lever to flip it.
noun
- Use of a word or phrase in a sense opposite of its literal meaning, especially for ironic or humorous effect.“When they called him “bad as hell”, they weren’t calling him evil. It was antiphrasis.”