Definition of apophasis
1 : the raising of an issue by claiming not to mention it (as in "we won't discuss his past crimes")
… he indulges himself in apophasis about his ex-wives ("No, I am most definitely not making any charges or accusations. It's merely that …").— John Brooks
2 : the practice of describing something (such as God) by stating which characteristics it does not have especially because human thought or language is believed to be insufficient to describe it fully or accurately
… apophasis happens because, like Moses and the burning bush, persons have been drawn so close to the mystery that they have begun to realize how beautifully, appallingly, heart-breakingly mysterious God really is.— Mark Allen McIntosh
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Time Traveler for apophasis
The first known use of apophasis was in 1656
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