Definitions- Figures of speech (+40)

Figures of speech:

1.Simile – A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using “like” or “as”. | उपमा अलंकार – जिसमें “like” या “as” का प्रयोग करके दो भिन्न वस्तुओं की तुलना की जाती है। | Examples: He is as brave as a lion, She sings like a nightingale, The baby slept like a log, Her face shone like the moon, Life is like a journey.

2.Metaphor – A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as”. | रूपक अलंकार – जिसमें “like” या “as” का प्रयोग किए बिना दो भिन्न वस्तुओं की सीधी तुलना की जाती है। | Examples: Time is money, The world is a stage, He has a heart of stone, Books are our best friends, Her voice is music to my ears.

3.Hyperbole – A figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis or effect. | अतिशयोक्ति अलंकार – जिसमें प्रभाव उत्पन्न करने के लिए बढ़ा-चढ़ाकर बात कही जाती है। | Examples: I have told you a million times, He runs faster than the wind, She cried a river of tears, This bag weighs a ton, I am so hungry I could eat a horse.

4.Apostrophe – A figure of speech in which an absent person, a dead person, or a non-living thing is addressed directly. | संबोधन अलंकार – जिसमें किसी अनुपस्थित व्यक्ति, मृत व्यक्ति या निर्जीव वस्तु को सीधे संबोधित किया जाता है। | Examples: O Death! where is thy sting?, Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!, O Nature! please heal me, O God! save us, O Moon! guide the traveller.

5.Personification – A figure of speech in which human qualities are given to animals or non-living things. | मानवीकरण अलंकार – जिसमें निर्जीव वस्तुओं या पशुओं को मानव गुण दिए जाते हैं। | Examples: The wind whispered softly, The stars danced in the sky, Time flies quickly, The flowers smiled at us, Opportunity knocked at the door.

6.Onomatopoeia – A figure of speech in which words imitate natural sounds. | ध्वन्यात्मक अलंकार – जिसमें शब्द प्राकृतिक ध्वनियों की नकल करते हैं। | Examples: Bees buzzed around the hive, The clock ticked loudly, The snake hissed angrily, Water splashed on the floor, The thunder boomed in the sky.

7.Oxymoron – A figure of speech in which two opposite words are used together. | विरोधाभास अलंकार – जिसमें दो विपरीत अर्थ वाले शब्द साथ में प्रयुक्त होते हैं। | Examples: Bitter sweet, Deafening silence, Open secret, Living dead, Clearly confused.

8.Alliteration – A figure of speech in which the same consonant sound is repeated at the beginning of nearby words. | अनुप्रास अलंकार – जिसमें पास-पास के शब्दों के आरंभ में एक ही व्यंजन ध्वनि की पुनरावृत्ति होती है। | Examples: She sells sea shells, Peter Piper picked peppers, Busy bees buzzed, Wild winds whistle, Silver snakes slither silently.

9.Assonance – A figure of speech in which similar vowel sounds are repeated in nearby words. | स्वरानुप्रास अलंकार – जिसमें पास-पास के शब्दों में समान स्वर ध्वनियों की पुनरावृत्ति होती है। | Examples: Try to light the fire, Go and mow the lawn, The rain in Spain stays mainly, Hear the mellow wedding bells, Men sell the wedding bells.

10.Anaphora – A figure of speech in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences. | पुनरुक्ति अलंकार – जिसमें लगातार वाक्यों या पंक्तियों की शुरुआत में एक ही शब्द या वाक्यांश दोहराया जाता है। | Examples: Every day, every night, every moment I think of you, We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the fields, I have a dream, I have a dream, I came, I saw, I conquered, No pain, no gain.

11.Pun – A figure of speech that uses a word with more than one meaning for humorous effect. | श्लेष अलंकार – जिसमें एक ही शब्द के अनेक अर्थों का प्रयोग हास्य या प्रभाव उत्पन्न करने के लिए किया जाता है। | Examples: A bicycle cannot stand on its own because it is two-tired, Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana, I used to be a banker but I lost interest, Being in politics is just vote and switch, A boiled egg is hard to beat.

12.Synecdoche – A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole or the whole represents a part. | अंश के लिए पूर्ण या पूर्ण के लिए अंश अलंकार – जिसमें किसी भाग से पूरे का या पूरे से भाग का बोध कराया जाता है। | Examples: All hands on deck, India won the match, He bought a new set of wheels, The crown will decide, We need more boots on the ground.

13.Metonymy – A figure of speech in which one thing is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it. | लक्षणा अलंकार – जिसमें किसी वस्तु को उससे संबंधित दूसरी वस्तु के नाम से व्यक्त किया जाता है। | Examples: The pen is mightier than the sword, The White House issued a statement, Hollywood loves sequels, The crown announced new laws, He listens to the radio every night.

14.Antithesis – A figure of speech in which opposite ideas are placed together in balanced form. | विरोध अलंकार – जिसमें विपरीत विचारों को साथ रखकर प्रभाव उत्पन्न किया जाता है। | Examples: Speech is silver but silence is golden, Many are called but few are chosen, Man proposes, God disposes, To err is human; to forgive divine, United we stand, divided we fall.

15.Litotes – A figure of speech that expresses an idea by negating its opposite. | लघुक्ति अलंकार – जिसमें किसी बात को उसके विपरीत का निषेध करके व्यक्त किया जाता है। | Examples: He is not a fool, It is no small task, She is not unhappy, The movie was not bad, I am not unaware of the issue.

16.Euphemism – A figure of speech in which mild or polite words are used instead of harsh words. | सौम्याभिव्यक्ति अलंकार – जिसमें कठोर शब्दों के स्थान पर विनम्र या सौम्य शब्दों का प्रयोग किया जाता है। | Examples: He passed away, She is differently abled, The company downsized its staff, He is between jobs, Senior citizen for old person.

17.Climax – A figure of speech in which ideas are arranged in increasing order of importance or intensity. | उत्कर्ष अलंकार – जिसमें विचारों को बढ़ते हुए क्रम में प्रस्तुत किया जाता है। | Examples: He came, he saw, he conquered, I whisper, I speak, I shout, The soldier fought, bled, and died, We can survive, succeed, and triumph, Her smile became a laugh, then a roar.

18.Anti-climax – A figure of speech in which ideas suddenly descend from serious to trivial or less important. | अपकर्ष अलंकार – जिसमें विचार अचानक उच्च स्तर से साधारण स्तर पर आ जाते हैं। | Examples: He lost his family, his fortune, and his keys, She fought bravely and then missed the bus, The minister spoke of war, peace, and sandwiches, He saved the nation and his lunchbox, The king conquered kingdoms and washed dishes.

19.Consonance – A figure of speech in which consonant sounds are repeated within or at the end of nearby words. | व्यंजनानुप्रास अलंकार – जिसमें शब्दों के भीतर या अंत में समान व्यंजन ध्वनियों की पुनरावृत्ति होती है। | Examples: Pitter patter, blank and think, stroke of luck, Mike likes his bike, The lumpy bumpy road.

20.Sibilance – A figure of speech in which hissing sounds like “s” or “sh” are repeated. | सिसकारी ध्वनि अलंकार – जिसमें “s” या “sh” जैसी फुफकार वाली ध्वनियों की पुनरावृत्ति होती है। | Examples: She sells sea shells, Silly snakes slither silently, The soft sound soothed me, Summer sunshine shimmered softly, Seven swans swam silently.

21.Epigram – A short, witty, and memorable statement expressing an idea cleverly. | सूक्ति अलंकार – एक छोटा, चतुर और यादगार कथन जो किसी विचार को प्रभावशाली ढंग से व्यक्त करता है। | Examples: The child is father of the man, Beauty is truth, truth beauty, No pain no gain, Brevity is the soul of wit, Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

22.Understatement – A figure of speech in which something is presented as less important or smaller than it really is. | न्यूनोक्ति अलंकार – जिसमें किसी बात को वास्तविकता से कम महत्व या कम प्रभाव वाला बताया जाता है। | Examples: It is just a scratch after a huge accident, The exam was a bit difficult, He is somewhat tired after running a marathon, The tsunami caused some damage, I have a slight headache during high fever.

23.Idiom – A group of words whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of the words. | मुहावरा – शब्दों का ऐसा समूह जिसका अर्थ उसके शाब्दिक अर्थ से भिन्न होता है। | Examples: Spill the beans, Hit the nail on the head, Break the ice, Once in a blue moon, Burn the midnight oil.

24.Chiasmus – A figure of speech in which words or ideas are repeated in reverse order. | उलट क्रम अलंकार – जिसमें शब्दों या विचारों को उल्टे क्रम में दोहराया जाता है। | Examples: Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you, Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country, She has all my love; my heart belongs to her, Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live, Pleasure’s a sin and sometimes sin’s a pleasure.

25.Innuendo – A figure of speech in which an indirect or hinting remark is made, often suggesting something unpleasant. | संकेत अलंकार – जिसमें किसी बात को सीधे न कहकर संकेत या इशारे में कहा जाता है। | Examples: He has an interesting relationship with money, She is very friendly with the boss, I wonder how he passed the exam so easily, Your room looks surprisingly clean today, He is known for his “honest” dealings.

26.Fable – A short story with animals or objects as characters that teaches a moral lesson. | नीति कथा – ऐसी छोटी कहानी जिसमें पशु या वस्तुएँ पात्र होती हैं और जो नैतिक शिक्षा देती है। | Examples: The Fox and the Grapes, The Lion and the Mouse, The Hare and the Tortoise, The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Wolf and the Lamb.

27.Parable – A short story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson through human characters. | दृष्टांत कथा – ऐसी छोटी कहानी जो मानव पात्रों के माध्यम से नैतिक या आध्यात्मिक शिक्षा देती है। | Examples: The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, The Lost Sheep, The Wise and Foolish Builders, The Sower and the Seeds.

28.Interrogation – A figure of speech in which a question is asked for effect, not for an actual answer. | प्रश्न अलंकार – जिसमें प्रभाव उत्पन्न करने के लिए प्रश्न पूछा जाता है, उत्तर पाने के लिए नहीं। | Examples: Who does not want success?, Can anyone deny the truth?, Is this the way to behave?, Shall we tolerate injustice forever?, Who knows what fate holds?

29.Exclamation – A figure of speech expressing sudden emotion or strong feeling. | विस्मयादिबोधक अलंकार – जिसमें अचानक उत्पन्न भाव या तीव्र भावना व्यक्त की जाती है। | Examples: What a beautiful day!, Alas! he is dead, Hurrah! we won the match, Oh! what a surprise, Bravo! you did well.

30.Inversion – A figure of speech in which the normal order of words is changed for emphasis. | वाक्य-विन्यास अलंकार – जिसमें प्रभाव के लिए शब्दों के सामान्य क्रम को बदल दिया जाता है। | Examples: Sweet are the uses of adversity, Down fell the leaves, Never have I seen such beauty, Into the room came the teacher, Blessed are the poor.

31.Pleonasm – A figure of speech in which more words than necessary are used for emphasis. | पुनरुक्ति दोष/अधिक शब्द प्रयोग – जिसमें आवश्यकता से अधिक शब्दों का प्रयोग किया जाता है। | Examples: I saw it with my own eyes, Free gift, True fact, Advance planning, Repeat again.

32.Sarcasm – A figure of speech in which mocking or cutting remarks are used to express contempt. | व्यंग्य अलंकार – जिसमें ताना मारकर या कटाक्ष करके बात कही जाती है। | Examples: Great job on breaking the vase!, You are so punctual after coming one hour late, What a genius you are for forgetting your homework, Lovely weather during a storm, Brilliant idea to sleep in class.

33.Irony – A figure of speech in which the intended meaning is opposite to the literal meaning or expectation. | विडंबना अलंकार – जिसमें कथन का वास्तविक अर्थ उसके प्रत्यक्ष अर्थ के विपरीत होता है। | Examples: A fire station burns down, The police station gets robbed, The pilot is afraid of heights, He failed the spelling test because he misspelled “spelling”, The doctor fell sick.

34.Paradox – A figure of speech that contains a seemingly contradictory statement but reveals a truth. | विरोधाभास अलंकार – जिसमें विरोधी प्रतीत होने वाला कथन छिपे हुए सत्य को प्रकट करता है। | Examples: Less is more, I must be cruel to be kind, The beginning of the end, Wise fool, Truth is honey which is bitter.