hypophora means a figure of speech in which the speaker poses a question and then answers the question. It carries an Arena rating of 1669, earned across 44 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, hypophora ranks #2,532 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #4,459 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #4,661 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #4,982 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
Why “hypophora” is a great word
HYPOPHORA — [Noun] A figure of speech in which the speaker or writer poses a question and then immediately answers it. From Ancient Greek ὑποφορά (hypophorá), from ὑπό (hypó, "under") and φέρω (phérō, "to carry, to bear"), literally "a carrying under". The earliest known use in English is from 1656, in the writing of James Smith. Unlike a rhetorical question, which hangs in the air demanding only silent assent, or anthypophora, which often frames an opponent's objection to be dismantled, hypophora is a self-contained act of orchestrated thought. It is the orator pausing to ask, "What then must we do?" before unveiling his plan; the lecturer inquiring, "How does this mechanism function?" before delivering the clearest explanation; the writer giving voice to the page's silence only to fill it with an assured reply. It is the modest drama of creating a void for the sole purpose of having something to put inside it.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ὑπόφορά (hupóphorá).
noun
- a figure of speech in which the speaker poses a question and then answers the question.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- anthypophora 68% match — A device in which the author poses an opposing argument, then immediately refutes it. vs hypophora →
- hypobole 59% match — A rhetorical figure in which several things are mentioned that seem to make claims against the argument, or in favor of the opposing side, but are then refuted one by one. vs hypophora →
- procatalepsis 58% match — A rhetorical exercise in which the speaker raises an objection to his own argument and then immediately answers it, in an attempt to strengthen the argument by dealing with possible counter-arguments. vs hypophora →
- epiplexis 54% match — A rhetorical device where a sequence of rhetorical questions is used to criticise or blame, or more generally, to elicit an emotional response. vs hypophora →
- epanaphora 52% match — anaphora vs hypophora →
- epiphora 52% match — epistrophe vs hypophora →
- aphorismus 51% match — A figure of speech that questions whether a word is properly used, as in "How can you call yourself a man?". vs hypophora →
- erotesis 51% match — A figure of speech whereby a question is asked in confident expectation of a negative answer. vs hypophora →