elision

eli·sion | \ i-ˈli-zhən

Definition of elision

1a : the use of a speech form that lacks a final or initial sound which a variant speech form has (such as 's instead of is in there's)

b : the omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable in a verse to achieve a uniform metrical pattern

2 : the act or an instance of omitting something : omission

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about elision

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Examples of elision in a Sentence

unfortunately, when the book was condensed, some of the elisions rendered major plot developments incomprehensible

Recent Examples on the Web The same mix of characters make up the Republican Party’s base, but mainstream political shorthand and narrative elision often obscure this fact. — Katie Mcdonough, The New Republic, "Die Laughing at the Capitol," 11 Jan. 2021 But Faber’s tale of alpha-elision follows its own course. — Washington Post, "Michel Faber’s ‘D’ is a quirky adventure for readers young and old," 14 Dec. 2020 Would the elision of the difference between hating debt and hating Jews found in the shooter’s manifesto be present in the cultural impact of Ramsey’s teachings? — Eve Ettinger, Longreads, "The Price of Dominionist Theology," 10 Aug. 2020 But the magnetism of these books derives not from its mountain of facts but from its elisions — all those gaps in our knowledge and understanding. — Parul Sehgal, New York Times, "Hilary Mantel’s Triumphant New Novel Brings Thomas Cromwell Across the Finish Line," 3 Mar. 2020 Nasiri’s moving piece enunciates the endurance of Iraqis’ humanity in the moment of its apparent effacement—its physical negation by American bombs, and its elision from the images conveyed back to the United States by CNN. — Eli Jelly-schapiro, The New York Review of Books, "The Art of Neverending Wars," 15 Feb. 2020 Moore’s delivery of Shange’s poetic transliteration of black English—its elisions and rhythms—makes this flowering of first love also a kind of standup routine. — Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, "An Ecstatic Revival of Ntozake Shange’s “for colored girls”," 28 Oct. 2019 In the January Sanders-Warren showdown over the advisability of putting a female nominee at the top of the ticket, a similarly revealing moment of strategic elision came into the foreground. — Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, "Seeing No Evil," 25 Mar. 2020 The question of what Reiki is introduces—or highlights—an elision between the spiritual and the scientific that has, as yet, no resolution. — Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, "Reiki Can’t Possibly Work. So Why Does It?," 7 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'elision.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.