paralipsis
/ˌpæ.ɹəˈlɪp.sɪs/
paralipsis means A figure of speech in which one pretends to ignore or omit something by actually mentioning it.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, paralipsis ranks #2,357 of 14,297 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #7,127 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #7,180 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words, #7,181 of 14,451 for Most Whimsical Words.
paralipsis is pronounced /ˌpæ.ɹəˈlɪp.sɪs/.
Why “paralipsis” is a great word
A rhetorical device in which one emphasizes a point by professing to omit or pass over it. From Ancient Greek παράλειψις (paráleipsis, "omission"), from παραλείπω (paraleípō, "I pass over"), a compound of παρά (pará, "by, near") and λείπω (leípō, "I leave"), first attested in English in the 1580s. Unlike "litotes," which understates through negation of the opposite, or "apophasis," which broadly denotes mentioning through denial, paralipsis is the art of conspicuous concealment, drawing the eye precisely by averting it. It is the politician who "will not mention" his opponent's scandals, the parent who sighs "I won't even mention the broken window," or the critic who states "I shall pass over" the book's glaring flaws—each instance sketching the very subject it claims to leave blank, a ghostly outline bolder for being officially, and so dishonestly, erased. The hand that pretends to cover is the hand that points most directly.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek παράλειψις (paráleipsis, “omission”), from παραλείπω (paraleípō, “I pass over”), from παρά (pará, “by, near”) + λείπω (leípō, “I leave”).
noun
- A figure of speech in which one pretends to ignore or omit something by actually mentioning it.“These negatives are a paraleipsis: what cannot be done to the soul can be done to the body.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- apophasis 90% match — An allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned. vs paralipsis →
- proslepsis 90% match — The pretence of passing over a subject while at the same time describing it fully. vs paralipsis →
- litotes 88% match — A figure of speech whereby something is stated by denying its opposite. vs paralipsis →
- litote 87% match — An instance of litotes. vs paralipsis →
- understatement 86% match — A figure of speech whereby something is made to seem smaller or less important than it actually is, either through phrasing or lack of emphasis, often for ironic effect. vs paralipsis →
- hypobole 85% 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 paralipsis →
- enantiosis 85% match — A figure of speech by which what is to be understood affirmatively is stated negatively, and vice versa; affirmation by contraries. vs paralipsis →
- aposiopesis 85% match — An abrupt breaking-off in speech, often indicated in print using an ellipsis (…) or an em dash (—). vs paralipsis →