metonymy
2 synonyms for metonymy, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A figure of speech in which something is called by the name of a thing closely associated with it, as when "the Crown" stands for the monarchy or "Hollywood" for the film industry.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
figure of speech
trope
How to use metonymy
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
a form of metonymy
metonymy for
classic metonymy
Technical and literary; belongs to grammar, rhetoric and criticism.
Etymology
From Greek metonymia 'a change of name', from meta 'change' plus onyma 'name'.
Full origin of metonymy →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between metonymy and metaphor?
A metaphor swaps in something unrelated for the sake of resemblance, as in "he is a lion". Metonymy swaps in something genuinely connected, as in "the Crown" for the monarchy, where the crown really belongs to the institution.
What is the difference between metonymy and synecdoche?
Synecdoche is the narrower case where a part stands for the whole, or the whole for a part, as in "all hands on deck". Metonymy covers any close association, not only part and whole, so many people treat synecdoche as a type of metonymy.
What are common examples of metonymy?
"The pen is mightier than the sword" for writing and warfare, "Downing Street" for the British government, "a dish" for a meal, and "the bench" for judges.
