Figurative Language Definitions

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What is Imagery?

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Imagery is the use of language that engages the five senses: hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch. Example: The scruffy black cat’s back arches and hair stands straight up when it encounters the chocolate brown snarling dog whose teeth look like little knives covered in butter.

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What is Allusion?

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Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance. Example: Let’s not go there; it will unlock Pandora’s box.

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What is an Epitaph?

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An epitaph is a brief poem written to be inscribed on a gravestone.

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What is Hyperbole?

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Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration. Example: Finally, on the millionth time he asked her out on a date, she said yes!

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What is Simile?

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A simile is an indirect comparison that typically uses 'like' or 'as'. Example: She is as happy as a cat riding a unicorn through space.

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What is Personification?

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Personification is a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts. Example: The wind whispered through the trees.

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What is Metaphor?

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A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. Example: Time is a thief.

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What is Idiom?

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An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning. Example: It's raining cats and dogs.

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What is Onomatopoeia?

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Onomatopoeia is a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound it describes. Example: The bees buzzed in the garden.

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What is Oxymoron?

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An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction. Example: Deafening silence.