Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A sudden breaking off of a thought in the middle of a sentence, as though the speaker were unwilling or unable to continue.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In rhetoric, sudden reticence; the suppression by a speaker or writer of something which he seemed to be about to say; the sudden termination of a discourse before it is really finished. The word is also applied to the act of speaking of a thing while pretending to say nothing about it, or of aggravating what one pretends to conceal by uttering a part and leaving the remainder to be understood: as, his character is such—but it is better I should not speak of that.
Wiktionary
- n. An abrupt breaking-off in speech.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A figure of speech in which the speaker breaks off suddenly, as if unwilling or unable to state what was in his mind.”
WordNet 3.0
- n. breaking off in the middle of a sentence (as by writers of realistic conversations)
Etymologies
- Late Latin aposiōpēsis, from Greek, from aposiōpān, to become silent : apo-, intensive pref.; see apo- + siōpān, to be silent (from siōpē, silence).
Examples
“LOL It's called aposiopesis when you end a sentence with an ellipsis; look it up.”
Top Hillary Adviser: Richardson Privately Said Obama Is Unelectable
“Also, when writing a statement using aposiopesis should use an em dash, rather then an ellipsis.”
Top Hillary Adviser: Richardson Privately Said Obama Is Unelectable
“No, aposiopesis means stopping a sentence short, which you did not do.”
Top Hillary Adviser: Richardson Privately Said Obama Is Unelectable
“There is no figurative language here; but there is the figure of aposiopesis, which (since it's just an artful breaking off of a sentence) is never figurative (in the sense we usually mean).”
“Take this famous example of aposiopesis, which ends Sterne's A Sentimental Journey:”
“First, they imagine, in this clause, the use of the figure aposiopesis, according to which something not expressed is understood; then they begin a new sentence, 'He shall be punished sevenfold,' which they refer to Cain.”
“I was briefly admonished to see that I wrote worse for the future, or else ---- At this aposiopesis I looked enquiringly at the speaker, and he filled up the chasm by saying, that he would "annihilate" me.”
“Tamar's answer, "if thou wilt give a pledge until thou send it," is an unfinished statement, an aposiopesis, the omitted conclusion being, "I shall be satisfied.”
“So ..." said Mr. Carmyle, becoming articulate, and allowed an impressive aposiopesis to take the place of the rest of the speech.”
“If you will have it," said Alf, with fine aposiopesis.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘aposiopesis’.
-
G[r]eek
A collection of words found in English that are either purely Greek or have Greek etymology.
Please add with caution and certainty. Will be regularly updated by me.etymology, philosophy, laconic, disharmony, patriarchic, archaic, phlogiston, aether, aeon, angel, arachnid, rhythm and 322 more...
-
Rhetorical Devices
syllepsis, zeugma, trope, wellerism, anastrophe, anaphora, apostrophe, metonymy, chiasmus, antimetabole, syncope, open-list and 431 more...
-
Ayatollah's list
Trinkets of lexical goodness.
floccinaucinihili..., quomodocunquize, curmudgeon, illaqueate, ipsissimosity, heterochthonous, hakenkreuz, forisfamiliate, appropinquate, apodyopsis, baryphony, cachinnate and 146 more...
-
Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
-
Portmanteau-ism
portmanteau, apophenia, apoplexy, antisyzygy, canard, augur, interstice, sang-froid, agent provocateur, aposiopesis, folderol, twaddle and 4 more...
-
Metawords
Talking about talking, writing about writing, etc.
epizeuxis, tautological, aptote, bibliophagist, parataxis, scriptorium, aposiopesis, variorum, chantefable, boustrophedon, psellism, adoxography and 20 more...
-
#@$%*! (that's "grawlix" to you, bucko)
A list of words for images and ideas that normally defy words and/or drive you crazy trying to remember what they are called.
-
Words that you discovered on Wordie
flibbertigibbet, humdudgeon, grawlix, upside, concinnity, aposiopesis, odalisque, angelology, cacoethes
-
most difficult words ever¬!
very difficult words ever!
milosrdenstvi I've known her all my life, but I always called her Miss Pronunciation. Apr 23, 2010
PossibleUnderscore I didn't know there was a Ms. Pronunciation as well as Mr! Apr 23, 2010
Telofy "They spoke in fragments and ellipses, in periphrastics and aposiopesis, in a style abundant in chiasmus, metonymy, meiosis, oxymoron, and zeugma; their dazzling rhetorical techniques left him baffled and uncomfortable, which beyond much doubt was their intention." – Robert Silverberg, Born With the Dead (on World Wide Words) Jul 27, 2009
dontcry Sould be spelled: apauseopieces if you ask me, dontcry. Feb 1, 2009
jmjarmstrong JM was writing of aposiopesis, forgive me, I'll be OK in a minute, when the rain started again. Feb 1, 2009
mialuthien Also known as reticentia. Jul 22, 2008
abraxaszugzwang I love the pronunciation of this word. I can't get it out of my head. Mar 4, 2007
seanahan This has to be one of the hardest words to pronounce, EVER. Feb 28, 2007
trivet What the...? Feb 28, 2007